Varenna to Castelrotto via Verona & Bolzano

day 6 – giorno sei

We left Varenna this morning before the street lights had even gone out, promptly at 8:20. We have a tour bus/driver from Florence and it’s a full size tour bus. It’s surprising that the buses can fit on some of these roads!

After leaving Varenna we drove through a few more little towns along the lake and then headed through an agricultural valley with lots of vineyards and fields of grains. Their vineyards look so lush right now. Apparently it’s close to harvest time, just like at home.

We made a quick pit stop at a truck stop where the toilet was free (usually you have to pay for a public toilet) and then drove on to Verona. We only had a couple hours to explore so we made the most of it by following RS’s recommended walking tour and getting some great gelato. We saw Verona’s Arena, a couple beautiful churches (one was just starting Mass), bridges that had been bombed and rebuilt from the original materials, the tombs of the Scaliger family, and Verona’s Duomo.

Back on the bus, we set our sights on Bolzano, where Ötzi the Iceman ‘lives’ in his museum. Ötzi was quite amazing to see. The unique way in which he was naturally preserved is incredible, not to mention all of the things researchers have been able to discover about his way of life and history.

From Bolzano, we continued to climb into the mountains. The architecture became more and more Austrian and less Italian. The steep hillsides were terraced with grapes and apples and we started to see more castles nestled in the hills. On the way up, we took a wrong turn in a roundabout and we had to go quite a few miles up to find a spot to get our long bus turned around, oops! But we did get to see a little extra beautiful scenery and these HUGE stacks of logs getting watered…

Leavenworth kept popping to mind when we arrived in Castelrotto (Kastelruth in German). We passed lots of lush green fields with cattle, sheep, and horses. It was beautiful sprawling mountain town dominated by a large campanile (bell tower) that happened to be right next to the hotel we were staying at. The light was fading as we entered town but we did get a glimpse of the Dolomites!

We got settled into our hotel rooms and then gathered again to walk to our dinner destination. The restaurant we went to was a good half mile walk uphill and the atmosphere was decidedly Austrian. Sarah said we could choose an appetizer and main or a main and dessert, plus salad bar. It still seems strange to me but pastas are considered appetizers, so I guess technically I ordered an appetizer and dessert. I had a wonderful pasta with salmon sauce, though a little salty, and apfelstrudel for dessert. Sarah was sitting next to me and kept my wine glass topped off, which always makes the evening extra enjoyable.

It was dark and late by the time we finished our meal so the town was very quiet as we made our way back to the hotel. Mom and I got quite the room… We’re not supposed to talk about our rooms to prevent room-envy but Mom and I actually got a suite of sorts; two bedrooms with a bathroom in-between. We were on the top floor of the building so we also had these great skylights which gave me a nice perspective of the bell tower.