Who wouldn’t enjoy visiting the several old borgos scattered around the hills of the Garda Lake around the area of Castelletto di Brenzone ? Whether you prefer walking or riding, this little (not-so-little) trip can be simultaneously extremely rewarding and tiring but what if there’s another option ? The solution, my friends, is the ELECTRIC BIKE.
We start our 45km ride from a little town named San Zeno di Montagna, situated around 700m above sea level, where we also rented our electric bikes (ask for them in the Park Hotel Jolanda) for just 30€ each for the whole day. We are told that these have an average 50km limit depending on how efficiently the battery is used but also on what roads we decide to take (more slopes = higher battery usage). With full batteries, plenty of water and will to discover, off we go riding toward our first stop of the day: Campo. This village is an old medieval borgo hidden inside the woods just above Castelletto di Brenzone in a sport where you can easily overlook all the lake in a 360° view. Lucky for us, one of the two roads that reach Campo is a beautiful side-of-the-hill narrow path that have just enough space for a couple of bicycles to pass through.
The road from San Zeno to Campo is divided into the easy part (sloping down asphalt road) and the hardcore part (side-of-the-hill dirt road) but with our electric bicycles we manage to get through with little difficulties. Crazy ! Going up the narrow paths with big stones and slippery sides, seems like riding a bike on the smoothest asphalt you’ve ever seen. Definitely unexpected ! Especially because it takes us just under an hour (photo stops and water break included) to get to Campo. Once there, the beautiful architectures, narrow cobblestones paths and ancient ruins leave us completely speechless ! Walking around that piece of history is just an overwhelming experience and the amazing views of the lake are just another incredible add-on to make the place even more beautiful.
We also get to see a shop (called Little John) where an old man handcrafts everything out of leather; wallets, bags, key-rings, notebooks and etc.. ask for it and he’ll have it.
After the short village-visiting break we start heading toward Boccino, another beautiful little borgo situated on the other side of the hill. The path from Campo to Boccino is even simpler as the dirt road flattens out and even with regular bikes its a pretty easy going route. Once in Boccino we have a quick look around but realise that there’s not much to see if not a nice panorama point that overlooks the north-east side of the lake. Therefore, with Castelletto di Brenzone being just 5min downhill ride from Boccino, we opt to have lunch and relax there for a while.
Luckily, after some searching around the lake-side area of the town, we find a small cozy restaurant that transformed a pier into a terrace where you can enjoy lunch/dinner just above the water. Not only the food is great but after our lunch we also get the chance to have a swim in the restaurant’s beach only a few meters by. Love it !
Refreshed and relaxed, we get back on out bikes and start heading toward our last stop: Torri del benaco. Romantic and quiet, this little laid-back village could easily be the ideal gateway from the busy city of Verona. A small fort (definitely worth a visit), accessible sweet little beaches and old medieval alleys all together making Torri a must-stop if around the area.
Slightly tired, we’re now ready to start climbing up the monstrous 700m sloping up roads to get back to San Zeno. Turn after turn, with a break in Albisano (check out the church here for another amazing view of the lake), in just over an hour we manage to get back to our starting point. What a day ! What a tour ! History, Sport, Adventure and Discovery everything in the all-inclusive package of the electric bicycles ! Make sure to not miss it and see you soon !
This entry was posted in Europe, Italy