Malcesine: an old town and a windy night

We’re now staying on a campsite in Malcesine for a few nights. We popped to Lidl on the way, then checked in at about 11.30. After setting up our camp, we had lunch then cycled into the town.

We rode along the shore of Lake Garda, looking forward to returning to the beach by the campsite for a swim. We soon spotted the castle, high up in the middle of Malcesine. The fortress dates from the 13th century and the tower is even older. It was originally an Austrian Garrison then, after Malcesine became part of Italy, an Italian prison.

We decided against going into the castle and instead wandered through the narrow cobbled streets of the old town, browsing the shop windows and stopping in a picturesque square for a cool drink. We also couldn’t resist the call of gelato. Delicious!

Back at the campsite, we left our bikes, changed into our swimming costumes and went for a swim. As we dried off by the lake, enjoying the sunshine, the wind suddenly started blowing a gale. Worried about our awnings, we dashed back to the campsite to make sure everything was battened down properly. We had to eat inside for the first time on the trip.

Overnight, John and I were kept awake by olive tree branches scratching at Molly’s roof, and the awning flapping in the strong winds… rooky errors! Having finally wound the awning in at 3 o’clock in the morning we got some sleep, thankfully lying in until 10 o’clock.

Today, we’ve moved Molly Moho away from the olive tree and we’re having a lazy day, catching up with a few household chores on the campsite, while Dan and Jackie have gone out to explore.

We did manage to wander down to the lake this afternoon, where we stopped at a bar by the paragliding landing zone. There, we spent an enjoyable couple of hours watching the paragliders land. Tomorrow we’ll be more energetic, with a hike up Monte Baldo planned.