Scooter tour on Lake Garda – grappa also tastes great in the hinterland

Memories of freedom, warm wind in your face, the smell of the morning, being close to nature – who wouldn’t want that?
Being alive, young (no matter from which perspective), a bit of adventure away from everyday life – we experienced this fascination, these unique perceptions on our scooter tour on Lake Garda.
Gliding between the mountains and the lake on winding, narrow roads, the friendly rattling of the rented scooter in our ears mixed with the silence of nature – how unique.

The highlights of the scooter tour on Lake Garda

And that’s not all that a scooter tour from Lake Garda to the less frequented, somewhat mysterious hinterland has to offer.
Encounter our highlights: the enticing aromas of espresso at Omkafè, the intoxicating effect of grappa and wine at the Guilio & Mauro distillery, the culinary delights of creative cuisine inspired by nature.
There will also be plenty to feast your eyes on.
Art in the open air complements the cultural impressions.
No touristy monotony, instead an encounter with traditional specialties of a very special kind!

But before we can enjoy all this, we have to get up to start punctually at 9.00 am in Ustecchio Tremosine sul Garda.
Together we can expect 95 kilometers and about 8 hours full of impressions and surprises on a route from Riva del Garda to Santa Messere, past lakes, along winding roads with fantastic views and vistas.
It’s worth getting up early for.

Visit to a coffee factory

Our very first stop brings us a coffee break.
Having missed our morning coffee due to getting up so early, we feel like we’re in paradise, attracted by the aroma of coffee from the Omkafè factory.

But how are the many different types of coffee produced?
What is the secret of this delicious brown beverage, on which not only our morning well-being surely depends?

In the accompanying museum, we embark on an excursion into the fascinating world of coffee, from its origins to our coffee cup.
And who better to present this than the passionate coffee roasters of the Omkafè family.
The very vivid presentation about coffee provides a comprehensive and impressive insight into the art of coffee.

Would you have known the difference between an Italian Marrocchino and a Café Marrocchino?
Or which coffee name comes from which country?
We know now.
But it’s not just the museum display that is very interesting, the modern machine processing also provides an insight into the production process.

The crowning glory of our visit to Omkafè is two espressos – a Paltino and a Doro – now we are coffee insiders.

Visit to a private distillery

Full of impressions, we get on our scooter and continue on our way.
Even though coffee is essential to our lives, we also appreciate a good wine, a grappa or tasty vinegar.
“It is an art to drink well”.

The route takes us up into the hinterland to the picturesque village of Santa Massenza near Lake Santa Massenza.
It’s not just the view of wine and grappa that makes our hearts beat faster, but the location of the village, nestled in a picturesque hilly landscape and the idyllic lake, surrounded by vineyards, is also enchanting.
The tranquillity and harmony of the place make us curious about Giulio & Mauro and their small distillery.

We are given an insight into the distillation process between wood and copper, from the still to the glass, and of course we are also allowed to taste.
Accompanied by brief explanations about the production, special features and notes, we enjoy both the wine and the grappa (only a small sip each, of course – we still want to roll on).

The philosophy of the small agricultural company proves to be true: “The ancient wisdom of distillation is based on the slowness of the process.”

Lunch at La Casina – Italian.
Traditional.
Delicious.

We have reached the turning point of our tour.
Follow us to Drena to a picturesque restaurant!
The road makes for a brisk ride – after all, we’ve worked up an appetite and are hungry after tasting coffee, wine and grappa.

We take a seat on a terrace under a shady canopy of leaves.
The ambience alone invites you to linger and enjoy.

After a cool (non-alcoholic) aperitif, we indulge in the food.
First, a greeting from the kitchen was served, which awakened our taste buds.
After all, the restaurant’s philosophy is to create creative menus and dishes from the forest.
We decide to eat à la carte.
Our lunch was excellent.
The starters and the subsequent pasta dishes with fish and meatballs were indescribably delicious.
However, as our stomachs are not used to a full Italian meal, we skip dessert and treat ourselves to an espresso at the end.

What a culinary excursion in a wonderful ambience!

Visit to the sculpture park – our last stop

After all the culinary delights and a well-fed and pampered body, we now have the leisure and time to devote ourselves to culture.

But our destination is not a museum.
No, something unusual, special and extraordinary awaits us here too.
In an open-air gallery in the forest, we encounter art in the open air.
But what do we mean by “art”?
A smiling head of armor on a rock, a fresco-like mural carved in grey stone, reminiscent of the ancient Egyptians, a Buddha enthroned on a stone surrounded by moss and ivy, looking downright friendly.

In a place where hedgehogs and hares seem to say goodnight to each other, we meet the animals of the forest: cats, hedgehogs, hares, birds.
They look at us as yellow creatures.
But red and green animals also accompany us along the way.
And the toadstool is not to be missed either, as well as friendly figures made of metal, technical elements of our modern world.
We had to do a bit of climbing and scrambling to discover all this – but it was worth it.

Is the intention to show these installations and sometimes colorful objects in the forest in a kind of open-air art gallery also forward-looking?
At some point, people will walk through the forest and discover these objects and recognize our lives and our history in them.

So what is art?
Definitely many things, present and future, color and form and …..

The end of our scooter tour on Lake Garda takes us back to Tremosine sul Garda.
The way back to the liveliness and hustle and bustle lets us glide through the fantastic landscape in the hinterland of Lake Garda once again.
We enjoy the sound of our scooter’s engine, the wind in our hair (the hair that peeks out from under our helmets) and the feeling of freedom.

Our conclusion

Our scooter tour on Lake Garda and in the hinterland of the lagoon is a special kind of highlight: something for adventurers, explorers, gourmets and those who want to feel the warm Italian wind in their face.

It is clear that the tour can only be a success if the helmet is on your head, the equipment is suitable and safety is always the top priority.
Then, like us, you will certainly not forget this day.