IDEAS      Homes for Vacation & Long-Term Rentals

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  FRAN2005  #6      Now a Vacanza   

Saturday June 18, 2005

        I awoke at 7:00 AM but within a half hour I was back to sleep.  Marcia woke me at 11:30 with the good news that we could stay another day but the bad news is I have to get up because we are being moved to another room in the building next door.  I had slept for a total of 10 hours - I really needed that.  Maybe the jet lag thing will be over now.

        I threw my clothes on, closed my bags and moved to the new room.  When I got there, I went right back to bed at 1:30 and got up at 2:45 and now I am feeling well rested.  Once unpacked, I changed and had a cappuccino at poolside with my computer.  Marcia had already been swimming and told me the water is hot since this is a thermal pool heated by underground supply (the thermal waters is what Sirmione is famous for).

        I decided to skip swimming and enjoyed the afternoon relaxing until the sun leaned far enough in the sky to let the cooling lake breezes make a run more palatable.  It had gotten pretty hot; summer is finally here.  I decided to walk around a take some pictures of this pretty little place with the new camera.  Right next to the hotel and at the entrance of the city is the Scaglieri Castle built by the powerful Scaglieri family in the Middle Ages.

            Your car has to drive across this little moat bridge to get inside the town.  You have to fight your way past the people and the motor bikes.  They only let you drive in if you have a hotel room.  Once inside, this is the little piazza that awaits you.

            It is very hard to pass up some of the pizza, pannini and foccacio bread displays as you walk through the streets.

        I ran my usual run along the lake (lungolago) and then onto the main road into town until I reached Hotel Villa Pioppa.  When I saw it I remembered that it was exactly a mile to this hotel.  When I finished I returned to my favorite and classier espresso bar, Bar Gino for a cappuccino and a puzzle.

I met Marcia at the lakeside hotel cafe and then we headed for dinner.  We decided it was time to start trying some new places.  We decided on Ristorante San Salvatore [Via San Salvatore, 5, +39-030-916-248].  It was a lovely evening and we sat in one of their outside tables.  I had had so much to eat last night that I decided to take it lighter tonight.  We again had Vernacia di San Gimingnano which at �7 is cheaper than I can by it in the wine store at home.  The Euro may have gone up, but good Italian wine is still a bargain even in an Italian tourist site.  Marcia started out with a dish of avocado and prawns for antipasto followed by trout and I had simply spaghetti vongole.  It was all excellent.  Click on the photos.

        We strolled along the pretty streets watching all the people going along and came across the art gallery I have visited many times.  The artist has a very unusual style which I like, but I have never bought anything.

            We ended up having a Limone gelato at Bar Gino and then sat in their outside patio area for a limoncello and espresso.  Then we ambled back to Hotel Sirmione.

            All in all, a very romantic evening.  We got to bed at 3 AM after doing photos.

KJH                                                            Go To -> NEXT DIARIO #7 

Kenneth J. Hoffer, MD

KHofferMD@AOL.com

Sirmione, Italy

Sent 6-25-05

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