Innsbruck to La Garda

As I start this we are in a 5km stop-start on the Brenner Pass due to road works <sigh>. Also the cloud level is much lower today, we can't see the tops <boo>. Occasional sharp rain showers, first rain of trip. Stopped at border for hot choc (no decaf!) and pastry. The Brenner at 1370m is one of the lowest Alpine passes, yet it is impressive in its winding through the chasm between the mountains. Much roadworks on the Italian side (South Tyrol) too.


We stopped at a servicio to swap drivers, then barrelled on south down the A22 in company with an endless stream of enormous trucks. We turned off at Affi and wound our way into the Parco Termale del Garda, a thermal lake resort. For a significant sum we spent the afternoon there, after a modest lunch served in a surly manner. The main lake is 31°, with huge jacuzzi sections at 35, 37 and 39° - the latter two advised at 10 minutes max. All very lovely and fairly empty. We sat on a verandah for a while drinking mineral water before going back in for another sulphurous wallow.




The people watching was ace, esp the guy ostentatiously on his phone while shoulder deep for over an hour. The only downside was the long walk from the car park, for N with his troublesome hip. It was still fiercely hot at 4pm. 

A final 45 min drive got us to Campsite Fontanelle, via tiny streets that the van only just fitted down. We suspect 'Mrs G' of taking back routes to save a minute. This is another CAMC site, and we have extended our planned stay from 2 to 3 nights. Long story short, Italian campsites and their websites are a nightmare and unlike our friends Tim & Alison we don't like rocking up on spec. This is a contrast with Swiss & Austrian sites though - whilst the facilities are good, the pitches are all sloping on a gentle hillside down to the lake. We changed pitches twice before finding the least worst slope. There's a lovely pool but it's closed until mid May. 

We walked 3 minutes down to the lake side and had excellent pizzas with red wine for N and campari spritzer for L, to celebrate our arrival in Italy and our furthest point from home.

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