Towns around the southern end of Lake Garda

Thanks Katherine! I have been doing some research and came up with the places you mention, so it feels like I'm on the right track. I will also try the tourist office.

We've not yet been there, but we're planning to spend four days in Sirmione after a Verona visit, and it looks interesting. Good castle plus a ruined villa of Catullus, and it's on a peninsula that sticks out into the lake. On one day we hope to take a ferry to Malcesine to take the lift up the mountain. We are relics too, so no climbing! There's a bus from Verona to Sirmione. You can try the Lake Garda tourist website for other ideas.

We stayed at Sirmione in May and felt like we had the real Italian experience! There is a drawbridge that you take to get into the town, no cars allowed, charming streets with restaurants and shops. After all the tourists go home, you have the whole town to yourself. We took a boat trip around the peninsula to see the ruins from the water and climbed to the top of the castle. 2 days is all you need here.

Thanks Jan! That sounds really lovely. Maggie.

Maggie, I agree that Sirmione is a great place to stay: a very cute little town on the south end of Lake Garda. Even though Rick Steves ignores it, there are some Rick Steves-kind of places to stay.

Thanks Ron- That's really helpful. We weren't planning on staying anywhere overnight, as we're renting an apartment in Verona- but now that you and Jan have both said how nice it is, we'll look at it. Especially since you say there's some Rick Steve's type places to stay. Maggie