Italy Coach Trip 2022
A 5am pick up from Hull, England and we were on our way south heading to Dover. There we boarded the ferry across to France and to our overnight stop in Belgium. We knew day 2 would be a long day on the road but the views along the way were amazing and made the trip well worth it. We drove through Belgium, into Luxembourg and back into France. The showstopper was when we got to Switzerland. Even a 2 hour wait to get through Gotthard pass did not dampen our spirits, as we admired the Heidi style houses along the the Alps. By the time we arrived at our hotel in Italy it was dark. We had dinner and then off to bed after travelling 15 hours through 5 countries.
Our hotel for the next 7 nights was Hotel Villa Mulion https://www.villamulino.com/ in Garda town on Lake Garda. What an amazing hotel. The location was perfect, but it is the staff that make the stay so memorable. A family run hotel who work nonstop to make sure your stay is fantastic. The owner can be seen all day in different roles, receptionist, in the dining room, and on the evening, entertaining. We recommend this hotel 100%.
Over the next few days we explored the Lake Garda area, visiting Riva del Garda, and the castle in Melcesine with views over the terracotta roofs. The temperatures were in the high 30’s so we enjoyed the hotel pool before a delicious dinner at the hotel. On the south part of the lake, we visited the walled towns of Lazise and Sirmione. In Sirmione we enjoyed a glass of local wine overlooking the lake and a fun speed boat trip around Roman ruins and the castle.
A highlight of the week was visiting Venice. Arriving by water taxi and seeing all the buildings was something we will never forget. Venice was everything we expected, busy, picturesque, hot, beautiful, too much to see in a few hours. We didn’t have time to do everything, so we decided to head through the packed St. Marks square and walk around. We loved watching the gondolas on the water, enjoyed some food in a small square, we quickly visited the bustling Rialto bridge, we visit the quirky bookshop https://www.libreriacqualta.it/ and passed the Sigh bridge.
Verona was next on the list. Our first question was…”are there any scruffy towns in Italy?” Not a coke can in sight as we strolled around. We visited the amphitheatre, admired the views from the Torre dei Lamberti bell tower and stopped to see Juliet’s balcony.
Another highlight was a day in the Dolomites to Madonna di Campiglio. We took a cable car up the mountain to 2200m. The views and the weather were spectacular. We watched the belled cows grazing on the mountain and enjoyed the cool breeze. Back in Madonna centre we enjoyed a local beer and lunch and tried to imagine been there during the winter. We decided the summer season was definitely what we preferred.
Last day in Garda town was spent walking around the market, swimming in the lake and then relaxing back at the hotel pool. The whole hotel staff came out to say goodbye when we set off to head back to the UK. The journey back can never quite match up to the journey out, but eventually we arrived back in Hull to spend a few days.
