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My friend and I left Munich in the morning and embarked on a four-hour scenic train ride over the Alps to a small Italian town called Rovereto. It is located in the Trentino-Alto Adige region of northern Italy between Lake Garda and the Italian Alps.This was the easiest way to get from Munich to Malcesine on Lake Garda .
My nieces’s husband picked us up and drove us to our hotel in Malcesine. I could barely wait to hold my baby grand-niece in my arms.  My niece’s travel agent had found the perfect hotel for all seven of us in Malcesine. It was a simple hotel in a beautiful setting away from the hustle and bustle of downtown. We adults rented rooms and my niece and her husband rented an apartment. This was the perfect (and relatively inexpensive) spot for a family gathering. The breakfast was great, everything was clean and comfortable. The grounds were specular, with a vast olive grove surrounding the hotel and apartments. There was a beautiful landscaped pool and a playground for children. The San Carlo hotel is run by a nice Italian family, and it became our home for one week. My niece’s in-laws arrived from near Berlin and were happy to see their grandchild.
Our focus was around the baby, but we still managed to go on boat excursions, and visited different towns around the lake. We never missed an afternoon coffee followed by an Aperol spritz. One day, we four elders visited the town of Riva, where we had a delicious lunch and explored the town while the young people visited a friend nearby.  Malcesine
 Riva del Garda Another day, all seven of us crossed the lake by boat and visited Limone. Limone is the Italian word for lemon and this part of Lake Garda is renowned for growing lemons and other citrus. Limone is set along a backdrop of rocky cliffs with stunning lakeside scenery. For me, the town had too many tourists, even in May. We ended up having a delicious lunch in a gorgeous setting. I felt like I was in a movie.
Another day, we took a taxi ride to Lazise, which is located southeast of Lake Garda.The wall, by which you enter the pedestrian medieval village, was built in the 14th century.The 12th century church San Nicola has several medieval frescos.There is a a lovely harbor with a promenade lined with colorful houses, many of them restaurants. We had lunch in one of them and enjoyed the ambience of this beautiful setting.
We declared our last day in Malcesine as a chill day and enjoyed the gorgeous pool at our hotel. It was hard to say goodbye the next morning, as I will cherish this week forever . 
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The beautiful sights of Rome Recently, I was fortunate to spend seven beautiful days in Rome when my husband and I decided to skip Thanksgiving and go to Rome instead. Rome is an amazing city, a feast for the eyes, the soul—and the stomach. Around every corner there is a piazza with old stucco buildings, churches, ruins that date back hundreds, possibly thousands of years. It is a city made for walking until you have to cross a busy street—then stop dreaming and watch out! You can spend an entire week rushing from any given church, museum or site to another. But be careful in trying to do it all, because if you do so you will never take in the essence and beauty that this town has to offer. Rome is made for walking, so take your most comfortable walking shoes for the cobblestones. When the walking is too much, just take a taxi or public transportation to your next destination, sit down for a cappuccino, have a gelato or an afternoon lunch. My husband and I would pick one tourist destination a day, and for the rest of the day just wander around with a general idea of where we wanted to go. We found some beautiful places when we got lost—and ate some fantastic food. Rome's center is relatively small and easy to navigate. One day, we took a taxi to the piazza Campo de' Fiori. This place transports you back to a different time were it not for the cars and scooters. In the morning, there is a market where you can explore the sites by walking the small streets full of wonderful shops and buildings. Before Campo de' Fiori (across the Tiber River) is the Jewish ghetto with plenty to see and eat. This time of the year, fried artichokes were served at many of the restaurants. When it comes to local restaurants, I just follow my nose and look at what's going on. I also got some names from internet sites like "Rachel Eats" as well as guide books. However, it was difficult to follow the walks because there are few street signs which makes things are a bit confusing. By wandering around, we found some bakeries, gelato places and eateries. From the piazza de Fiori, we walked along small streets to the piazza Navona, a beautiful oblong square with the Four River Fountain built in Baroque style by Gian Lorenzo Bernini. We got to the piazza just as the last light of the day was shining through the open bell tower, a breath-taking scene. There is a small store selling beautiful decorated notebooks—and don't forget the ice cream! Continue walking and you arrive at the Pantheon, an astonishing building with huge columns and an indoor room with an open ceiling that will take your breath away. This room inspired later domes, including Michelangelo's St. Peter. Around the corner, you will find a restaurant called "Armando al Pantheon,” a family-run trattoria that serves fantastic seasonal Roman food in a warm atmosphere. We had lunch there and the food was outstanding. Another restaurant we liked was "Target.” This restaurant was near our hotel on the Via Torino. I loved their octopus soup, a rich tomato-base soup. In other places, we ate pasta with freshly picked porcini mushrooms. We found as delicatessen where we bought fresh bread, Parma ham and wonderful local cheeses, so we had a picnic. For dessert, we had sweets and gelato. All that walking, I felt that this caloric intake was fully justified.  |
WELCOME TO SUNNY COVE CHEFThank you for visiting my blog. My two passions are cooking and traveling. Traveling exposes me to a wide variety of food and experiences. I walk around cities looking for markets, restaurants, bakeries, shops, you name it, and if it is related to food you will find me there, tasting, smelling, talking to vendors, and having a great time. Categories
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