To say our time a Lake Garda was my favorite part of the trip does not even come close to describing how much I loved being there. This place is so special and truly one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. Beyond the obvious natural beauty of a lake surrounded by mountains, each town is quintessentially charming. Before the trip we had done a lot of research about which towns to visit while staying in Lake Garda. If I’m honest though, I could have visited them all!

We picked up our rental car late in the afternoon and headed to our hotel in Gardone Riviera. We had scheduled five days around the lake with two hotels. The plan was to stay somewhere on the southern portion for the first couple of days and then finish at the northern tip of the lake. Gardone Riviera was the perfect first stop because it had a great hotel right on the water. It was also an easy distance to all of the southern region towns we wanted to see.

There are three regions of Lake Garda. It is Italy’s largest lake and falls into three different provinces: Verona, Brescia and Trentino. You could probably drive around the entire lake in a little over three hours, but that wouldn’t be as much fun if you didn’t have time to stop in a least a couple of the towns.

When we pulled off the road to our hotel for the first time I couldn’t wait to jump out of the car, grab my camera and start shooting. I have never felt so pulled to photograph a place more than Gardone Riviera. It was a mix of total excitement to be in such a beautiful place and the setting sun over the lake that just made it feel so magical. We stayed at The Grand Hotel Gardone Riviera which is right on the water. This hotel was actually why we decided to make one of our stops Gardone Riviera instead of another southern town. Have you ever seen such amazing Bougainvillea?!

We arrived close to dinner time, and with the light slowly disappearing over the lake we decided to change for dinner quickly and go celebrate our first night on Lake Garda. The hotel is located next to several wonderful water-front restaurants. We picked one with a prime view and spent the rest of the evening soaking up the beauty. This ended up being one of my favorite nights from the trip.

One thing I love about Italy is dinner is an event! You are encouraged to linger, enjoying the food and wine slowly. It’s such a contrast to the States where they are trying to rush you, so they can flip the table. In Italy, that is your table for the evening.

After dinner we went back to our room. Our terrace had the prettiest view of the moon reflecting over the water. We sat there and discussed our plans for the next morning, exited for the rest of our Lake Garda adventure. xo Bryn

Dress: Christy Dawn