a walk along the lake

When you wander, without thinking too much or too much planning, you stumble on things. Things that you wouldn't go out of your way to do, things that do not make good brochure fodder. That is, perhaps, exactly why I wander.


Riva del Garda is just such a place. Oh, in the summer, it's bursting with tourists. Lake Garda is the largest lake in Italy, cupped in the palm of the Dolomites, dotted with cobblestone villages and medieval castles. And Riva is the crowning jewel offering everything from day spas to camping.

But in November, on a weekday, the streets are empty, the hotels are all closed, the paths at the lake shore are clear, save for the stray local that scurries silently by.


And I wandered into Riva on a day like this.


I'd never been in downtown Riva before. It had always been too full. But now it was perfect for wandering. Slowly, like toddlers finding new things. We wandered into an empty playground with a red rope web to climb. Then noticed a canal close by and went to see the boats. Random ducks and a single swan swam up to see if we had any stale bread to share. A sculpture catches the eye. We wander.