On Wednesday (11th) we headed further south towards Italy. We chose to drive across Austria and into Italy via the Brenner Pass. A one point we thought this was going to be a big mistake as we encountered the biggest queue of lorries we had ever seen, lasting for many miles. After suspecting a major accident ahead, it turned out to be caused by the part-closure of one of the tunnels en-route (you can see part of the queue in the distance in one of the pictures below). The lorries were not allowed to use the outside lane but our motorhome managed to squeeze past them all! However, the trip should have taken 5 hours but took nearer 7! The drive through the Alps was quite spectacular with huge snow covered mountains visible in all directions.

We eventually arrived at Camping San Francesco, a very nice campsite on the southern shore of Lake Garda at which we had decided to take a break and rest for 4 nights. Our pitch was very close to the lakeside as can be seen fro the view through the windscreen. We went for the easy (but appropriate) option for dinner with a take away pizza and watched the sun go down over the lake.

We did have one excursion to the nearby town of Sirmione, regarded as one of the prettiest in the country. It was unseasonably hot – up to 30 degrees C – and the town was very busy but it was worth the trip. Sirmione sits on a very thin peninsula that sticks out into the lake and it’s narrow streets are guarded by an impressive castle. One unusual sight was a swan that had setup a nest on the steps of the marina! If you walk through the town to the end of the peninsula you will find the ruins of a huge Roman villa ‘Grotte di Catullo’ which has fantastic panoramic views over the lake.