The European Chronicles 2026.12 - Ferry Day, Il Bastione & Passo Maniva
Living The Lake Life (Surrounded By Mountains)
Il Bastione
The Riva del Garda Bastione was built on Mount Rocchetta in 1507 to protect the town and fortify its defenses. Now, there's a pretty steep funicular that takes you to the top.
By the way, the yellow-ish building is a hydroelectric plant. The entrance to the Bastione:
Ready to head up...
It's STEEP. 😂
Hiking trails...
Spritz with a view...
Torbole is tiny, I decide to stay on to Limone and hit it on my way back...or so I thought...
Limone...
We actually considered staying in Limone, I am so, so, so glad we did not. Very crowded, bordering on the "over tourism" feeling. Riva is busy, but not overcrowded, at least not right now. Limone is pretty, lots of narrow streets and a lakeside promenade, but so many people that it is not fun. At least to me.
Nice lunch...walk back to the ferry dock to catch the boat to Malcesine. Ticket booth is closed; handwritten sign says it will reopen at 13:30...check the posted schedule, ferry should be here in 10 minutes. Hmmm...I see nothing coming. Looking around, notice another handwritten sign that says: "Partenze Limone Centro." Hmmm...could departures be from a different dock? From walking around I know there's another dock at the north end, but saw only private boats there.
That's the boat to Malcesine that's leaving... 😂. No worries, there's a ferry to Riva in a few minutes.
The bar was open, so what did you expect? 😎
I'm figuring we'll stop at Torbole...you know, like we did to get to Limone. Nope. We're hugging the west coast and heading straight for Riva. No idea why.
Back to Riva...also at a slightly different dock... 😂
First, you ride through a beautiful valley on the way to Lago di Ledro.
Then you start to climb.
As you climb, the road gets progressively tighter, steeper and more cratered. The last few kilometers are pretty rough. Ski area at the top...
And civilization. 😎
I was hoping to get to the now decommissioned NATO base, but TomTom is telling me the road is closed. Oh, well, it was a very nice ride.
By the way, the yellow-ish building is a hydroelectric plant. The entrance to the Bastione:
Ready to head up...
It's STEEP. 😂
Hiking trails...
Spritz with a view...
Ferry Day
Lake Garda is big...2 1/2 times the size of Lake Como. On Lake Como, the ferries are a bit like a bus; there's always another one coming along shortly. Not so on Lake Garda; they leave about every 60 to 90 minutes. The ride to the southern end of the lake takes 4 hours on the "regular" ferry; 2 hours on the "fast" ferry. Each way.
The other huge difference is that, running north and south, there are no vehicle ferries. There is one vehicle ferry that runs east/west across the middle of the lake, but north/south are people (and bicycles) only. The practical effect of that choice is that the ring road around the lake is very busy. Lake Como's "design" seems so, so much better to me.
And, like everything in Italia, "how it works" is "fluid." Let me explain...
I decide to do a "northern lake loop," which is how the ferry folks break it down.
Riva to Torbole, then to Limone. Limone to Malcesine. Then Malcesine back to Riva. Ok, got my ticket...here she comes...
Torbole is tiny, I decide to stay on to Limone and hit it on my way back...or so I thought...
Brief stop, head back across the lake to Limone. When you look south, it's all lake to the horizon...
Limone...
We actually considered staying in Limone, I am so, so, so glad we did not. Very crowded, bordering on the "over tourism" feeling. Riva is busy, but not overcrowded, at least not right now. Limone is pretty, lots of narrow streets and a lakeside promenade, but so many people that it is not fun. At least to me.
Nice lunch...walk back to the ferry dock to catch the boat to Malcesine. Ticket booth is closed; handwritten sign says it will reopen at 13:30...check the posted schedule, ferry should be here in 10 minutes. Hmmm...I see nothing coming. Looking around, notice another handwritten sign that says: "Partenze Limone Centro." Hmmm...could departures be from a different dock? From walking around I know there's another dock at the north end, but saw only private boats there.
Google Maps shows no ferry dock at the north end. Rome2Rio shows nothing. The printed and posted ferry timetables make no mention of different docks. But there's no ferry...and, more importantly, no line, so I've got to be in the wrong place. Time to hoof it north...
Yup, there's a Limone Centro ferry dock.
That's the boat to Malcesine that's leaving... 😂. No worries, there's a ferry to Riva in a few minutes.
I have no idea how you're supposed to know that departures are from a different dock. Even Google doesn't know. Arrivals and Departures...
This time, the ferry is an old style riverboat with paddle wheels on the side and a beautiful wood interior with a bar.
The bar was open, so what did you expect? 😎
I'm figuring we'll stop at Torbole...you know, like we did to get to Limone. Nope. We're hugging the west coast and heading straight for Riva. No idea why.
You can see how the ring road heads in and out of the mountain.
Back to Riva...also at a slightly different dock... 😂
Benches with style...
Passo di Maniva
Up and over the mountain...
First, you ride through a beautiful valley on the way to Lago di Ledro.
Then you start to climb.
As you climb, the road gets progressively tighter, steeper and more cratered. The last few kilometers are pretty rough. Ski area at the top...
And civilization. 😎
I was hoping to get to the now decommissioned NATO base, but TomTom is telling me the road is closed. Oh, well, it was a very nice ride.
I assume you'll find this posted on TikTok...
You know you're in a touristy area when this happens with some frequency. Not quite "a lot" but more than a few. Several with "helpers" and several with this kind of phone tripod and a remote trigger. She even did a wardrobe change...
It's a living, I suppose, and I shouldn't judge. It just seems so vapid.
I can tell you this for certain: Best Gelato. No contest. Am I now an influencer? 😎
Ciao!
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