Finally, these people are inordinately fond of pastry. If you have the same weakness, some of the local favorites worth seeking out in the shops are Mostazzon, Zelter and Strudel. You may also ask for orecchia di lepre without fear of getting a rabbit' ear, It' a delicious little cake of approximately the same shape.
Bacchus has his day in this joyous land, particularly in the hills around Bolzano. The vineyards date back to Roman times and even earlier, for Virgil sang the praises of these vintages long ago and Caesar Augustus had a particular affection for them. Through two millenia the vine-yards have prospered, thanks to the devotion of the hardworking peasants.
One of the best wines in the Bolzano area is Santa Maddelena, a delicate red wine, subtle in color and agree-e in aroma. This often appears on the tes of good hotels in Bolzano. Two other good reds are Guncina and San Giustino, both available on wine lists, and there is a good vin rosé with a delicate aroma reminiscent of vanilla, called Lagrcin-Rosato. Kuchelberger is the local wine of Merano, and Teroldego is the specialty of Trento. All of them combine to make life more pleasant for the visiting ocnophile.
RIVA DEL GARDA
The Italian lakes make an abbreviated appearance in this account, because Riva, on the northern extremity of Lake Garda, was once an Austrian lake port. But in 1919 it became a part of the Trentino-Ako Adige parcel and was handed over to Italy. Its arcaded architecture is quite Tyrolean, and a bit startling after the pure Italian feeling of the rest of Luke Garda. But it is pleasant and picturesque, particularly near the central piazza bordering the lake. All is quiet here, under the frowning presence of an austere clock tower. It is the Torre Apponale, and it has been surveying the scene for seven centuries. Excitement animates the old piazza when a fleet of busses suddenly arrives from the north. Tourists tue out of them, intent upon two objectives, one of which is a cup of hot chocolate and a bun on the café terrace. Then dozing cabmen, post-card salesmen, and orange vendors come to life, and mariners in small sailboats converge upon the scene, looking for paying passengers.
The most exciting thing about Riva, though, is its setting, for it is hemmed in by immense, almost perpendicular mountains of rock. By some miracle a passageway has been gouged out of this sheer cliff, and the motorist can drive into Riva through a genuinely awe-inspiring tunnel.
There is a certain amount of summer life in Riva, aided by a charming boat club open to visitors, swimming pool and all. The hotels, all estished for decades, are more than adequate. True, they are a bit touristy, and their food is international. However an overnight stay in any of four alberghi should be pleasant. These are the BELLAVISTA, EUROPA, HOVEL DU LAC and GRAND HOTEL RIVA.
TORBOLE
About two miles east of Riva, in another northern corner of Lake Garda, is this charming resort town, clean, radiant, inexpensive, and unsophisticated. Its view of the turquoise lake, hemmed in by near-vertical mountains, is most impressive. The hotels are simple and good and we report a pleasant twenty-four hours at the HOTEL PARAD1SO, overlooking the lake. There' not much to do in Tórbole—wait for the morning paper, stroll over to Riva, sail in a fishing boat with an orange sail, and enjoy good Italian meals on a vine-covered pergola at the water' edge. But perhaps that is just what you have in mind. If you've had a bit too much traveling, this might be just the place to rest.
TRENTO
From Lake Garda a valley road borders the river Adige and leads northward to the provincial capital of Trento, set in an amphitheater of craggy bills. This, the Tridemum of the ancient Romans, was once an Austrian frontier town. The city had previously gained fame as the setting for the historic Council of Trent which met here in 1545 to reorganize the Roman Catholic Church. More recently, and less attractively, it served as a rendezvous for Hitler and Mussolini to discuss, a bit prematurely, how they would divide Europe.
Architecturally Trento has a great deal to offer the traveler. Although it is otherwise somewhat austere, if has a light-hearted and amusing town square. This is the Piazza Cesare Battisti, named for a local patriot who was executed in 1918. In the center is an immense, grandiloquent eighteenth-century fountain of Neptune, its bronze creatures squirting water exuberantly in all directions. At one end of the square, silhouetted against the powder-blue hills, is a Romanesque cathedral, a bit stern perhaps, but solid mae for all that, and capped with an onion-bulb lower to lessen its severity. But we would call your attention particularly to the town' leading café, installed on this square in the Cusa Rella. This four-story arcaded building is completely covered with bold, colorful frescoes dating back to the sixteenth century. They may serve better thinks on Rome' Via Veneto, but this café takes the prize for picturesqueness!
One other building cries out to be seen. This is the crenellated Castello del Buon Consiglio, a vast, frowning episcopal stronghold built in the thirteenth century as a residence for the bishop-princes. Now it serves as a museum, and a fascinating one.
Trenro is less inspired as a hotel center than is Bolzano. Good accommodations, however, can be found at the large, raing GRANDE ALBERGO TRENTO or at the BRISTOL. As for restaurants, you will proby fare best at the RISTORANTI-FORST, on the Via Mazzurana, just a short distance from that fantastic frescoed café The beer is good here, and so are the local specialties.
BOLZANO
Lying in a river valley on the arterial road to the Brenner Pass, Bolzano is proby the best excursion center for travelers who wish to visit the Dolomites. Roads radiate from here, each affording a thrilling day' excursion in the mountains. There is another reason for our enthusiasm about Bolzano—its hotels are excellent and its food deserves a rating of at least A-minus. This is an old Tyrolean town, with modern Italian fringes. The houses in its center arc tall and Teutonic, topped with steep-roofed towers. Graceful ironwork protects the lower windows. and there are any number of small town squares splashing with fountains. We are particularly found of the Piazza delle Erbe, the market square. It is chock full of good things to cat, and the perfect milieu in which to work up an appetite.
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