Never waste a day of your holiday. Especially if you are staying in as beautiful a place as Lake Garda. You simply must make the most of your time in this amazing region, trying new activities and exploring new places. With this in mind, I took a trip from my home in Garda to the north of the lake to explore the stunning little town of Arco.
The town is only a 10-minute bus journey from Riva Del Garda, often overlooked by visitors due to its proximity of its prominent neighbour. That’s a real shame because the town houses a beautiful piazza and is full of medieval buildings. A small castle situated on a ridge above Arco, the Castello di Arco, provides amazing views over the area.
In addition to the beautiful architecture, the landscape around Arco provides a lot of attraction for active thrill seekers. There is road biking along the River Sarca, intense mountain biking in the hills, and even via ferrata – traversing a mountain route equipped with ladders, cables and bridges.
I was fortunate enough to give via ferrata a go during my visit. I really enjoyed the experience and I can confidently say I WILL be trying it again in the near future. Amy, a Riva rep who joined me for the experience, will say the same as me; it was something neither of us had experienced before and it was exhilarating. Supposedly a beginner’s route, our first time experiencing via ferrata was full of challenges.
The via ferrata track was reasonably short but it took us around 40-minutes to complete. It was tiring work and encouraged a sense of vertigo, yet the views on the way up were undeniably phenomenal. Beside us, we saw kids scaling the mountainside with absolute ease, which spurred us on to the top of the mountain. Our climb scaled Mount Colodri; when we reached the top, a friendly goat acted like the protector of the mountain as he greeted us – it was a surreal experience!
Our initial experience was challenging but immensely rewarding. It made us want to go further and try new, more challenging via ferrata routes. And there are plenty of places around the lake where you try out this activity. Those experienced at via ferrata can head to Monte Baldo where you can climb as high as 2,200m. There are also routes surrounding Riva and Santa Barbara.
For those of you that haven’t tried it before, I would absolutely recommend giving via ferrata a go. I recommend beginning your via ferrata adventure in Arco to try the easiest routes in the area. You can hire via ferrata gear in Arco for around 10 – 15 Euros, and take that first step up the mountain!