The Assumption has just gone and although there are still many beautiful days to spend in the open air, here in Garda Trentino we… are already thinking about the glittering markets! Which ones? The Christmas markets, obviously! Pride and soul of Trentino! Cinnamon aroma and mulled wine, warm lights decorating impressive firs as a backdrop for a fairy landscape: you are living the Christmas markets on the lake in Garda Trentino!
Among the most important ones, there is definitely the Christmas markets of Arco: you could experience, discover and, finally, love it from November, the 18th 2016 to January, the 8th 2017. Glowing wooden stalls, local handicraft products and food excellences, the old crafts, the donkey ride and the sightseeing train for the little ones. On the background, hanging in mid-air, impressive and romantic: the castle! (You can’t miss the fireworks display on the night of December, the 10th: lighting up the square and all the stalls, it will make you feel like princes and princesses for a day!).
Anyway, if the past is the leitmotif of your life, you are in the right place, once again! You could melt the fascination of the Middle Ages with Christmas in Canale di Tenno, from November, the 26th, to December, the 18th 2016. Stone stalls with wooden balconies toiling up among the narrow alleys of one of the nicest hamlets in Italy. The vaulted wineries house simple and genuine products and handmade objects.
And if your tummy suddenly starts rumbling because of the cold weather, a big serving of carne salada e fasoi and you’ll feel ready for another…. stroll around the markets! Where? In Rango, in the Bleggio Valley! A tiny rural hamlet (part of the association Borghi più belli d’Italia – the most beautiful hamlets in Italy) carved in the mountain, where the time stood still among narrow alleys and old woodshed.
Here, Christmas seems to remind us of a past which is all gone but shines through each single stone, and the little ones can enjoy the “kids’ hamlet” with games and little donkeys. Speaking about kids…. this year you could bring the letters to Santa Clause directly… to his house! Where? In Riva del Garda! Breathing the magic atmosphere of the Casa di Babbo Natale from the 2nd to the 30th December 2016!
A real magic place where the little ones (actually, I’m already queuing!) could get to know Santa Clause and listen to his amazing stories in the “room of tales”, meet his faithful helpers, the elves and their pointed ears, wear Christmas clothes directly from his wardrobe. What’s more? Well, they could also taste the savory snacks in the kitchen of Natalina, Santa Clause’s wife.
You may already hear the elves’ jingle bells… by the way, would you like to take part in the Accademia degli Elfi, becoming in this way a skilled elf and so one of Santa Clause’s special helper? In Riva del Garda, impossible is nothing! Essential requirement: be good at preparing presents and… be younger than 12 years old! (Better for me to give up this time).
If you identify Garda Trentino with only beaches and summer, you will be surprised then. You will find also manyfold offers for your stay, to enjoy your lake holiday thanks to a varied range of winter opportunities, even in the wellness area (a rich selection of wellness offers is waiting for you) or in gastronomy with the holiday menus! After Christmas, it is quite compulsory to celebrate also New Year’s Eve on the lake shores. How? Looking up at the amazing fireworks in Riva del Garda, directly on the water, with exciting plays of light waiting for the clock striking at midnight!
Pixies and gnomes are ready for the most exciting holiday in the year; red, gold and silver will substitute the light colours we are experiencing in August. But the magic of Christmas is a refrain you can’t avoid to sing to yourself and, aided by a glass of mulled wine, we could even imagine to have spotted Santa Clause here around!
