Wednesday 16th July
After all the great roads we were on yesterday, and the late night at the kart track (plus a few beers!) the mood was a bit more subdued this morning for the ride down to Verona. Fortunately the roads were not as challenging as we were heading along fast sweeping bends through the valley to Lake Garda.

Once again the scenery was stunning riding through the mountain valleys, and the weather was getting warmer as we got closer to Lake Garda. The Diavel was having no problems with the lazy touring and as I was getting more used to the riding position I was finding it quite comfortable too.

We soon arrived at Lake Garda and the views were nothing short of breath-taking!

The lake itself was beautiful and the view from above looked amazing. After stopping for a quick picture, we rode down to the lake and followed the road round for a few miles. It was now quite hot at about 25 degrees and the lake shore was full of people enjoying the weather and the water.

Unfortunately we didn’t get to stop as we had to push on back up the mountain for lunch. The road wound up the side at quite an angle and we were soon viewing the lake again from a spectacular view point. Given the heat, most of us chose to stay inside with the air conditioning to cool down over lunch!

After lunch we made our way to Verona. Our hotel was situated just outside the city but as we arrived quite early in the afternoon, we had time to make use of the swimming pool for a welcome cooling dip after the heat of the day, before heading into Verona for some sight-seeing.

In Verona we took in the sights with a tour guide, visiting many of the city’s famous landmarks and site of historical importance, including the balcony of Juliet from the famous Shakespeare tale of Romeo and Juliet.

We had dinner in the centre of Verona, overlooking the Arena, the ancient amphitheatre built by the Romans. The food was good, the wine flowed and the weather was warm well into the evening so we all made the most of it until we had to get the coach back to the hotel.

Distance today: 255 km