Heller Garden and Sirmione

Yesterday was our only full day in Lake Garda, and I don't see how I could have done any more than I did. I crammed that day full.

Dave and I started by going to the Heller Garden, a botanical and sculpture garden near our hotel. It was originally planted beginning in 1903 by Arthur Hruska, a dentist and surgeon. After Hruska's death in 1971, it went into a decline until it was eventually purchased by Austrian artist André Heller, who filled it with contemporary sculpture. It's a tranquil space and Dave and I enjoyed walking around the hilly grounds and spotting all the plants we have in our own garden -- and some we'd like to have.

That's artist Niki De Saint Phalle's "Adam and Eve" above. Heller invited artists from all over the globe to spend time in his garden, including Lou Reed, who spent his 60th birthday there, according to the website. (I connected to that story, not only because I'm also named Reed but because I turn 60 this year!)

I even bought a t-shirt bearing art that Keith Haring created for the garden in 1990.

Even just walking around town here, the plants are pretty impressive -- especially the bougainvillea, which is exploding with color at this time of the year. After leaving the garden, Dave and I had lunch in a waterfront pizza place not far from this towering display.

After lunch, Dave went back to the room to rest. I bought a ticket to go to Sirmione, another town on the lake, by boat. Apparently Sirmione is the place to see on Lake Garda -- blogger Sharon mentioned in the comments that she's been there -- and I didn't want to pass it up. I wouldn't have much time there, so I had to make every minute count.

As the boat pulled up to the wharf in Sirmione, I got a good view of the castle, built in the late 1300s.

I also got a good view of our hunky boat attendant's optimistic tattoo.

I walked past the castle (but didn't go in) and around the perimeter of the peninsula, up to the Grottoes of Catullus, the ruins of a Roman villa. Along the way I passed this eye-catching sculpture on a beach, by a group called Cracking Art that makes sculpture from recycled plastics.

Remember that blue dog (some of you thought it might be a cat) that I saw on the balcony in Stresa? It's a Cracking Art piece, too.

Here are some of the ruins. There was a lot of up-and-down climbing and stairs to get to them, but it was worthwhile. They're connected to Catullus by legend -- in one of his poems he "describes his return to his beloved house in Sirmione," according to Wikipedia.

As I mentioned yesterday the ruins are featured in the movie "Call Me By Your Name"; scenes were filmed there and on the beach below.

And here's the beach, known as Giamaica (Jamaica) Beach. In the movie, Elio accompanies his father and Oliver on an archaeological visit here, while a Roman statue is being recovered from the lake. When they visit the beach it's practically empty, but as you can see that was not the case yesterday!

And then I had to hot-foot it to the pier to catch the boat back to Gardone. I had a little more than an hour in Sirmione, all told, but it was enough to enjoy the colorful narrow streets and see the main features. By the time I got back to our hotel, cleaned up and collected Dave, it was dinnertime and I was craving an Aperol spritz. We ate at a little restaurant on the water and then came back to our room and watched, of course, "Call Me By Your Name."

Today we're off to Ravenna to board our cruise ship. In fact we're supposed to leave quite early, just after 7 a.m., so I gotta get packing. Coming to you tomorrow from somewhere on the Adriatic Sea!