“Would you like some music?” Asked Gianluca with a glint in his eye. He was the dazzlingly charming captain of Ghibli, our elegant peppermint leather-upholstered boat which oozed riviera chic. We were halfway through a dreamy tour around the southern end of Lake Garda. Having cruised past Jamaica Beach and the Grottoes of Catullus, the remains of a Roman fort on the tip of the peninsular, we were now approaching the Castello Scaligero di Sirmione, a fortress built by the Venetian Della Scala family at the end of the 14th century. While you can access it by land through its gates of the historic town of Sirmione, it's also a spectacular sight from the water. It was just us bobbing, along with a handful of cormorants perched on the Venetian wooden “bricole” mooring posts, marvelling at the architectural engineering.
Reaching for the dial on the chrome and walnut veneered dash board on the boat, Gianluca pressed play on a rousing rendition of Nessen Dorma, sung of course, by the maestro Pavarotti. Somehow, none of us flinched as the notes drifted over the diamond-dappled waters in the long afternoon sun. After all, we were living la dolce vita.
