It’s day three of a semi-planned, somewhat impromptu road trip that came together thanks to a little bit of direct intervention from some hotel managers (I’m of the view that a hotel is never fully booked), some flexibility with dates and the firing up of a vintage iPod packed with 25 years of my favourite hits. Let’s roll!
Honk, honk!
We set off from Zürich around lunchtime on Wednesday and after four hours and 30 minutes we were turning down the lane to Villa Arnica in Lana – the third time this year. As ever, the sunny crew were on hand to greet us, the pool was a perfect 26C and the menacing storm clouds made a few rumbles but – knowing better than to spoil the mood – politely stayed on their side of the peaks. My colleague Linda (more on our Südtirol outpost at the end of this column) joined us for a super dinner at 1477 Reichhalter and the following morning we set off south. Our destination: Lake Garda.
Wait! Where’s mom?
Worry not, she’s either minding the shop with Linda or she’s poolside at the Villa. Should you swing by our store on Dantestrasse in Merano over the coming days and a woman with big eyewear gives you a little painted ornament or upsells you something bold and graphic on canvas, she’ll likely be my mom. And no, dear reader, I won’t forget to pick her up on my swing back north.
Hey, Mr Deejay!
Last summer we drove the boxy little Jimny from Zürich to Lisbon via San Sebastián and relied on spinning the dial the whole trip to find the right radio stations across Switzerland, France, Spain and Portugal. The beauty of the exercise was picking up a few new songs and getting into various regional moods but the road trip most definitely lacked some of the classic playlists that vanished when my tiny iPod disappeared into some plush upholstery. Thankfully, a very observant reader took notice, went to the trouble of tracking down a fully functioning iPod and offered it as a most thoughtful gift. I’m not big on streaming services and would have been very happy if the Land Cruiser had a CD slot – but the return of the iPod has been nothing short of transformative. Miki Matsubara, Angèle, Saint Etienne, Lisa Ekdahl, Clara Luciani and many more have all been getting plenty of play time.
Another villa
Is it stay number 20? Could it be more? On Thursday afternoon, we rolled down the driveway and crunched to a stop on the gravel at Villa Feltrinelli. For the past 25 years, this establishment on the western shore of Lake Garda has been a summer constant. You know a GM (the delightful Herr Odermatt) and the owners are doing something right when many of the staff from your first stay are still around to look after you at breakfast, round the pool and on the massage table.
Take the plunge
There are few hotel swims quite as satisfying as doing a two-metre dive off the jetty at the Feltrinelli. The long, dark pool cut into the lawn has its fans but the best summer day starts with a pre-breakfast plunge into Garda’s cool, rolling waves.
Continue south
By the time you read this, I should be on the Med and lunching at il Pellicano. As ever, there’ll be a more timely update on Monocle on Sunday and, if you’re game for a thoroughly Monocle road trip across the Alps, take a ride with our Robert Bound as he guides you from Zürich to St Moritz to Merano and all the way back to our little shop at Zürich Airport.
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