On the way to Trento, we stopped in the beautiful town of Desenzano, situated on the shores of Lake Garda, Italy’s largest lake.  Some of the streets were blocked off, which baffled Maria, our travel leader, and our bus driver.  Did something horrible happen?  It wasn’t until a sports car with a number on the side whizzed by that we realized we had stumbled upon a car race!  We all hopped out of the bus and headed to the waterfront to see the action.  It was the 2024 1000 Miglia, an annual 1000-mile vintage car race that has taken place in the province of Brescia since 1927.  The tour concluded in Desenzano where the drivers got their final stamps at the check-in tent, and then took some final laps to celebrate.  Italians are huge car race enthusiasts, so it was fun to watch with the locals, as they cheered for their favorites.

(For all photos, click on the image for a full screen view.)

Maria also managed to corral our group for a walking tour of the town, which we found to be quaint and charming.  The race and walking tour were great ways to break up our journey to Trento!

We continued on to visit an olive mill for a tour, olive oil tasting, and al fresco lunch.  The mill we visited, Frantoio Manestrini, was a family-operated mill that had received national recognition.  The vegetarian option for lunch was a welcomed surprise, given the lack of vegetables available during the previous days in Northern Italy and Switzerland.

The final leg of our journey took us through the foothills of the Italian Dolomites, which we would be seeing more of in the following days.  Upon arrival in Trento, we checked in at the beautiful Grand Hotel Trento, and then took an orientation tour of the lovely town.

Trento is the capital of the autonomous province of Trento.  Formerly part of Austria, it was annexed by Italy in 1919 and is now one of the wealthiest and most prosperous cities in Italy with a high standard of living and quality of life.

As if we hadn’t already experienced good luck when we happened upon that car race, the good luck continued in the evening when we stumbled upon a festival in Plaza Duomo, the cathedral square, following dinner.  Proloco Centro Storico Trento is part of Feste Vigiliane, celebrating patron saint San Vigilius.  The week-long festival transforms the streets and alleys into a mediaeval quarter where food, entertainment, and ancient handicrafts bring out the crowds.  The celebrations are full of humor and laughter, concluding with fireworks on the final day.

We stood outside the gate watching men prepare huge copper kettles of polenta.  Along with beer, bowls of the polenta were carried out by costumed servers.  It was a big social event, and everybody seemed to be having a great time!  We sure enjoyed watching!

Coming up next: SWITZERLAND & NORTHERN ITALY #17: TERRIFIC TRENTO