Borghetto sul Mincio, Veneto, Italy

Wedding over, we were off on our mini-moon and the destination was Borghetto sul Mincio in Northern Italy.

Italy is such a special place for Dan and I.  He took me on a tour of Puglia for my birthday a few years back and we fell in love with the country.  Since then we’ve taken many trips, all over Italy.  Whether to visit tiny towns like Talamone or Viareggio or larger cities like our trip to Siena, or even wine tasting in Montalcino we always find a reason to keep coming back.

We were thrilled when my uncle and aunt suggested we visit their apartment in Borghetto for our mini-moon.  Borghetto must be the most picturesque town I think I have ever stayed in.  It looks like a picture postcard!  It’s situated in the Veneto region of Italy and the river Mincio runs through the middle of it, (hence the name), directly from Lake Garda.   It’s a beautiful hamlet of old watermills and bridges and is just so incredibly pretty.

Standing tall over the town is the remains of the  Ponte Visconteo (the Visconti Bridge) a fortified dam, built in 1393 by the Duke of Milan – Gian Galeazzo Visconti.  Unfortunately, all that is now left is the main tower which can be seen in the picture below.

Getting to Borghetto sul Mincio

The two closest airports are Verona (about 30 mins drive away) and Milan Bergamo (about an hour’s drive away).  We flew into Milan Bergamo around 5 pm, hired a car, checked in and were sitting at dinner by 7.30 pm!  There is no train station in town but there are local buses that go to Peschiera del Garda (about 10km away) which has a train station.

Accommodation

We were lucky enough to be staying in my uncle and aunt’s apartment but there are a few hotels, guest houses, and apartments in town.  I haven’t stayed in any of the ones below but if I did, the first two would definitely be the ones that I would pick!

Maison Resola – A breathtakingly beautiful guest house, situated in the centre of town.  The rooms are beautifully decorated and there is a terrace overlooking the Ponte Visconteo where they serve breakfast in the mornings and Aperitifs in the evenings.

Il Borghetto Vacanze nei Mulini – A collection of 10 beautifully decorated apartments in the centre of town, right on the river.  This apart-hotel is set in one of the old ancient water mills of Borghetto and has the best views around!

Hotel Faccioli – a 3-star hotel with its own restaurant ‘La Cantina.’

Corte la Guarnigione – a 2-bed apartment right in the centre of town with an outdoor pool, hot tub, and garden and amazing views of the Ponte Visconteo.

Amenities

Borghetto itself doesn’t have much in the way of shops other than the deli mentioned below at La Vecchia Bottega.  There are a few gift shops, and plenty of cafés, bars, and restaurants, but that is about it.  For supermarkets, bakeries etc you need to head up the hill to Valeggio which is the municipal town of the area.  It has plenty of hotels, B&Bs, restaurants, shops etc.

Restaurants

I’ll start by saying that all of the restaurants in town were really lovely.  We didn’t have a bad meal so wherever you choose is bound to be good.

On our first night, we ate sitting by the river at La Vecchia Bottega.  What a treat for our first meal in Borghetto sul Mincio.  We shared the Chateaubriand and a lovely bottle of Amarone with a delicious Italian cheese plate for dessert.  But it was the setting that was so incredibly special.  Right on the water next to the bridge in the centre of town we literally had the best table in the house!  So amazing for our first meal out as husband and wife.  They also had a lovely deli inside – so lovely that at the end of the evening we took a few bits of cheese and charcuterie home for our breakfast the next morning!  We also popped back on another day to pick up a bottle of wine to drink on the terrace that evening.

We ate at Grand Cafe San Marco the second night.  Yet another beautiful setting, right on the river in the shadow of the Ponte Visconteo.  Beautiful during the day and even more special at night when the bridge is all lit up!  I enjoyed the Prosciutto and Melon followed by a Burrata Salad and Dan got to try out the local tortellini for the first time!  Absolutely delicious!  And it was here that we had our first taste of the Lugana Reserva.  Lugana is the local white wine and the Reserva is slightly aged so it’s a bit oakier and more complex.  A very romantic spot for dinner – make sure you ask for a table on the terrace!

For our last lunch, we’d booked Lo Stappo.  We couldn’t leave without eating there, it was just so picturesque, set right in the middle of the river.  A bottle of Franciacorta to celebrate the last meal of our mini-moon started lunch off nicely.  I opted for the Parma ham and melon (it had been an indulgent few days!) but Dan went for the truffle tortellini.  It smelled incredible and I’d definitely recommend it just from the smell alone.  The food was lovely, the setting was perfect and it was the perfect way to round off an incredible few days in Borghetto sul Mincio.

We also ate at Il Cavallino in Vallegio one night, the town set up above Borghetto sul Mincio.  We’d tried to visit the Tortellini Festival (see below) but it was bad weather and rained off.   Instead, we found this little gem, a family restaurant with the Nonna in the kitchen and the son and daughter serving.  The food was rustic and delicious – just like mamma used to make!  Hearty steaks all round with a great bottle of Valpolicella – the house red, there was no wine list – went down a treat on a rainy evening.

Bars

We only really found three bars in town.

The first was a bar/restaurant but it had a great  Aperitivo list.  it was called Osteria Al Volto Bistrot.  We had a great Aperol Spritz here one evening and wished we were able to stay for dinner.  The food coming out of the kitchen looked amazing!

The second bar we actually stumbled upon on our way down from Valeggio. It’s halfway down the hill and it was buzzing.  Unfortunately, there was a private party on that night so we didn’t get to in but I’d definitely pay it a visit another time.  I can’t remember the name but it’s the only one on the way down the hill so you can’t miss it!

The third bar was a proper bar – La Fiaba.  It just served drinks and cocktails.  There was a small terrace out back but as it was a bit chilly we chose to sit inside. It was very….eclectic!  There wasn’t a surface that wasn’t covered with some kind of nick-nack (most of them broken) and it was definitely different.  It was like drinking in a junk shop but it all added to the charm of the place!  And they did a great Negroni!

Activities

Cycling – There is a cycling track that runs from Peschiera del Garda all the way to Mantua (about 40km).  It is all tarmacked and fairly flat so it is perfect for cyclists of all ages and abilities – even kids!  The part between Borghetto and Peschiera is about 12km long and probably took us about 45 mins to an hour at a fair pace with no stops. Peschiera is at the south of Lake Garda so it’s an easy way to get to the Lake to explore…But that’s a whole other post!  There’s so much to see and do there (including hiring a boat) that Lake Garda needs its own post!

Wine Tasting – The wines of the area tend to be Lugana for the white and Valpolicella for the red.  We loved the Lugana Reservas (slightly aged) as our white choices and the Amarones for the red!  I also found a new to me sparkling wine called Franciacorta.  Franciacorta is a sparkling wine made using the traditional Champagne method and the same/similar grapes.  Unlike Prosecco which is made from Glera grapes and is tank fermented, Franciacorta is made from grapes such as Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Blanc and has its second fermentation in the bottle.  This results in a slightly drier wine with a more yeasty and less fruity character than Prosecco.

Dan and I spent one day travelling around the area visiting various wineries.  We decided to head to a larger, more well-known winery and also a smaller family-run one to see the differences. We chose to visit the Bertani Winery as the larger one and Cantina Gozzi as the smaller one.  In Bertani, we were offered a tasting in their wine shop and we couldn’t leave without purchasing a bottle of their (very expensive) Amarone Classico which we are going to lay down and drink in a few years!

At  Cantina Gozzi we were offered tastings by the vineyard owner.  She told us all about how the vineyard was very much a family affair, run by her, her husband and her sons and daughters.  We left with a bottle of their Riserva Vigna Magrini which was a blend of Merlot & Cabernet Sauvignon.  We also chose their Riserva Colombara, a delicious barrel-aged Chardonnay, both at very reasonable prices!

There are also plenty of Cantinas around the region.  These are almost like big cash and carries where you can taste wines from many vineyards in the area.

Visit an Agriturismo – We headed out into the surrounding countryside one night to Tamburino Sardo – an agriturismo – for a bit of dinner.  An agriturismo is a kind of working farm/vineyard which also offers a restaurant and sometimes rooms.  We were welcomed in with a glass of Prosecco from the vineyard and shown to the dining room where we were the only non-locals!  There was even a party for all the local farmers that evening!  You know you’re in for a good night when the locals all head to the restaurant you’ve picked.  All the food was locally sourced and we had a delicious meal, and plenty of the vineyard’s own wines.  My favourite was a delicious sweet wine pictured above (Nettare del Tamburino!)

Tortellini Festival or the Love Knot Feast (Festa del Nodo d’Amore).  The festival takes place in June on tables that are 600m long on the Visconti Bridge.  There are more than 3500 diners from all over the world.  It is truly magical with people from all over the world, coming together to eat and ending in a fireworks display from the Scaligero Castle on the hill in Valeggio.  The festival was cancelled in2019 but will return again in 2020.

The tortellini are known as Love Knots due to an old legend from the area which talks of nymphs and soldiers:

The nymphs lived in the Mincio river and used to come out to dance on the banks at night.  Captain Malco, a soldier, passing through Valeggio fell in love with Silvia, a nymph.  They pledged to be together forever.  However, before the sun could come up she had to return to the river.  She left him a memento of a knotted, gold silk handkerchief.  He couldn’t live without her so agreed to go and live in the river with her for eternity.   When the other soldiers awoke, all that was left was the knotted handkerchief on the riverbank.

The tortellini of Valeggio are said to resemble the golden knots – hence the festival of Love Knots!If you miss that, there’s also a Tortellini Festival in Vallegio in September.  It’s held over three days at various sites around the town. You purchase either a red ticket or a blue ticket from one of the local restaurants for around €24.  It gets you a map to find your 5 tastings (4 tortellini and a dessert) plus a glass of wine with each and most of the restaurants showcase their best pasta and try to out-do all the others.  This year for the first time they even did a gluten-free ticket!

It was on while we were there so we headed up to experience it on our last night.   Unfortunately, it was rained off that evening!  But if you can’t make the festival don’t worry.  The tortellini is available in every restaurant in town, each priding themselves on their own special recipe.  I think Dan might have tried every variation!

Parco Sigurtà Giardino and Scaligero Castle – This park is dubbed as one of the most beautiful parks in the world.  It’s just at the foot of the hill from Borghetto sul Mincio up to Valeggio.  You can spend an entire morning just wandering around enjoying the Avenue of Roses or trying your hand at the maze of hedges.  The Water Gardens, Great Lawn and some beautiful sculptures are also ‘must-sees.’  The park is open every day from 9 am to 7 pm and costs €14.50 for a day pass.  If you walk up through the park you can reach Valeggio town on the hilltop.  (You can take the little train if it’s too steep for you).  Scaligero Castle sits at the top, or at least what’s left of it.  Hit by an earthquake in the 12th Century, only the tower, called Rocca remains now.  The castle was built in the 8th  century by the lords of Verona. You can visit for only €2 euros or tale incredible photos from the panoramic courtyard!

Day trips to Venice & Verona – Both of these amazing cities are easily do-able in a day.  Verona is very close.  It’s about a 30min drive or you can take the train. Venice is an hour or so on the train.  Trains run frequently from Peschiera so it’s worth doing if you have a free day and want to see a bit more of Italy!

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