Special times in Torbole

How happy were we to see Roberta again upon our arrival in Torbole. For those of you who don't know, Roberta was another of our international students who we hosted in NZ almost 20 years ago and we have maintained a close relationship since then. She works in Zurich but took the week off to come and hang out with us (and her family of course 😉). We were fortunate enough to be invited to once again spend the week in Roberta's parents' home, which has the most amazing views over Lake Garda and Torbole and the mountains beyond, but oh my gosh, if you walk down to Torbole it's one heck of a climb to get back up to the house - I counted approximately 200+ stairs. However, if you do drive into town and back you definitely need to have a second and possibly third set of eyes to keep an eye out for cyclists. Torbole is well-known for its mountain biking tracks and there are a huge amount of cyclists around, often on narrow roads. Windsurfing/foiling are also popular sports and there are quite a few windsurfing schools in the area.
We have certainly been well looked after all week thanks to the hospitality of Roberta and her family. While Roberta and her sister Carlotta speak excellent English, her parents do not so there was a little bit of a barrier there but the Google Translate app has been our saviour. How good is this app!! Also useful for translating signs, packaging, grocery labels, etc.
There are many lakeside villages within driving distance of Torbole so we have spent the week exploring the villages of Malcesine (my favourite, we went back a second time), Riva del Garda, Arco and Limone, and at the same time taking a bit of a trip down memory lane. Think gelato, pizza, pasta .... and of course aperitivo, the tradition of having a pre-meal drink, typically aperol spritz, at a local bar, with snacks being provided.
It was a delight to catch up with Luisa and Othello yesterday, the parents of Giulia, yet another one of our homestays (sounds like we were serial homestay parents - oh wait, we were 😂). We enjoyed lunch at the Casa Beust lakeside restaurant together with Luisa and Othello's niece Naomi (a great translator, thank you!), and Roberta and her family and her partner Jacapo. A big thank you to Roberta for organising the lunch on our behalf. Sadly Sunday came round and after a quick visit to see Luisa and Othello, it was time to say goodbye. A few tears were shed (many actually) but we are so grateful for such a fabulous week reconnecting with old friends and making new ones ❤️.Read more