Cities, Villages, Wines, & Oils – Touring the Val d’Adige, Lake Garda, & Verona

Arrive in Bolzano / Bozen on your own (private transfer available on request) and check into your hotel. Bolzano (240m / 787') is the capital city of the province of South Tyrol (Südtirol in German and Ladin, Sudtirolo in Italian, and also known by its Italian name Alto Adige). Bolzano is also the gateway to the Dolomite Mountains. It’s quite something to gaze up from the main square of pretty Piazza Walther, at the forest-clad slopes and ridges of jagged limestone that surround it! The city center is traffic-free, so as you meander away from the piazza, you hear sparrows cheeping, coffee machines whirring, old women gossiping, cups and saucers clinking.
Peaceful and tranquil areas to explore are within easy reach; there are footpaths for keen walkers, and three cable cars for those seeking the thrill of heights and panoramic view over the city. Bolzano is the ideal place for sport enthusiasts and for those who enjoy open-air activities!

If you are taking a guided trip, you will meet with your guide in the morning for a trip briefing. If you are taking a self-guided adventure, you will meet with a Dolomite Mountains representative who will provide a trip briefing and orientation, as well as maps and everything necessary for your self-guided adventure. 
Enjoy a two-hour city visit with your guide (guided trips). Along the way, you’ll discover the colorful Medieval, Gothic, and Belle Époque buildings, with their stepped gables, turrets and attractively faded frescoes.
Despite all of the interest this city offers, Bolzano’s biggest attraction may be Ötzi: a mummy discovered in 1991. After spending the 5,300 years frozen in mountain ice, he was found completely by chance. You can see Ötzi at the Museum of Archaeology, where he is kept in a frozen state (-6°C / 21°F). The exhibit also includes a thrillingly vast quantity of artifacts found with him. The chance to come face to face with a man who lived some 500 years before the building of the Pyramids makes the journey to Bolzano worthwhile on its own!

Wine roads, or Strade del Vino, are designated routes that take you through the best of wine regions throughout Italy and beyond. Alto Adige has the Strada del Vino dell'Alto Adige / Südtiroler Weinstraße, or Wine Road of Alto Adige. With 150 kilometers (93 miles) of road cross through 4,249 hectares (16.4 square miles) of vineyards, and 74 wineries to explore – this is a mecca for oenophiles!
Today you will visit a famous winery, a synonym for the highest standard of quality in viticulture and winemaking. Combining the fifth and sixth generation of family ownership, the winery deftly combines tradition and innovation. Continue your day with a visit at the famous Ferrari Winery for an exciting discovery of Italian Metodo Classico sparkling wine. Enjoy a guided visit of the winery, and a toast with Ferrari Perlé Trentodoc. 
After your visit, transfer to Lake Garda (~1.25 hours). Lake Garda (Lago di Garda or Lago Benàco) is a gem among European lakes – picturesque villages, medieval castles, and lakeside promenades. Garda is he largest lake in Italy – with over 158 kilometers (98 miles) of shoreline – yet the least well known. The diversity of the landscape here is truly remarkable – the wider southern portion of the lake is surrounded by hills formed by glacial moraines, while the narrow northern part is enclosed by mountains that create beautiful fjords.

In the morning, take a private transfer to Sirmione (~1.5 hours). Located at the southernmost point of Lake Garda, Sirmione is a picturesque peninsula that lies to the east of Desenzano del Garda. The landmass extends 4 kilometers (2 miles) into the lake, rising about 30 meters (98') above lake level. This not only offers a gorgeous panoramic view, but was also an important strategic point throughout history. Today, Sirmione is famous for the unique charm of its old town, with its narrow and irregular streets, for ruins of the “Catullus Grottos,” the former villa of the poet “Catullo,” but perhaps is best known for the Terme di Sirmione for the Terme di Sirmione – thermal baths.
Meet your local English speaking guide and enjoy a 2-hour visit of town. After lunch, you’ll take a boat ride back to Gargnano, where your hotel is located. From the boat, you can see just how dramatic the lakeside mountains are, and see so much more than you can appreciate from the road. 

Olive oil from Lake Garda is a unique, light oil of extremely high quality. It is produced all around the lake by small family enterprises. This olive oil has a sweet almond fruity taste, with very low acidity, and an intense golden green color. The PDO (protected designation of origin) recognition named “Garda” was assigned in 1997, and is a further guarantee of the product origin, and of the finest organoleptic features of this oil.
In the morning, transfer to Bardolino, and get ready to learn how one of the world’s finest olive oils is made! Visit the Olive Oil Museum, learn about a year in the life of the centuries-old olive trees, and sample the oil after your visit.
In the afternoon, transfer to Verona and settle into your hotel. Verona is a beautiful city located along the Adige River – the same river that flows from the Dolomites. The dainty stone balcony at the 14th-century Casa di Giulietta is a magnet for lovers (and Shakespeare fans). But Verona is not solely about Shakespeare – it is known as piccola Roma, or little Rome, for its importance in imperial times, and today is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

In the morning, meet your local English-speaking guide, and enjoy a 2-hour guided visit of this wonderful city. Verona is full of artistic, historical, and cultural histories. In the collective imagination, Verona is the background of the tragic love story between Romeo and Juliet. Shakespeare’s tragedy made the fortune of this city, thanks to a sort of “romantic tourism” that attracts hundreds of tourists.
But under the marble streets, lie ruins of the Roman Empire. Here you can see the original street foundations a few feet below the present street level through glassed-in viewing windows. There are plenty of archeological treasures above ground as well. A 1st century Roman theater is built into a hill overlooking the river, and Piazza delle Erbe, the former Roman Forum, today is a wonderful open-air market surrounded by historic buildings with frescoes and peppered with sculptures. Perhaps most notably, Verona is home to an imposing 2,000-year-old Roman amphitheater (better known as the Arena), the third largest coliseum in Italy, and one of the best-preserved ancient structures of its kind.
The rest of the day is free to continue to explore Verona on your own, to walk its alleys and squares, taste its traditional food, and let yourself be seduced by the charm of this great city!

Breakfast and departure on your own (private transfer available on request).