Day 142 - A 24km Run from Verona to Lake Garda

After the big drive and a late night, we all eased into the morning with a bit of a sleep in. Then I woke up in a panic. What’s the time? How far is it to Verona? I had to return the car by 10. Quick check… only a 30-minute drive. Relief.

We got moving slowly. Kia and I made coffees, and then we all wandered down to the little supermarket nearby to grab some breakfast. I gave the car a quick clean out, then jumped in and headed for Verona.

The drive in was unreal. Proper countryside, easy roads, music on. I had to stop for fuel along the way and accidentally pulled into a full-service bowser. Next thing, a guy runs over and fills the car for me. Didn’t even realise that was still a thing. €60 for about half a tank in the BYD, not cheap, but we’d done plenty of kilometres on it so couldn’t complain too much.

I followed the map to the drop-off point, parked up, and couldn’t find an Avis sign anywhere. Turns out it was tucked inside an old fuel station, completely disguised. As I walked up, I hear an Aussie accent behind me, “Mate, you just missed her.” We got chatting, turns out he was from Sydney, over for a wine event. The staff member came back a few minutes later, handed the keys over, and that was it.

No car. Standing in Verona.

I figured I may as well head into town and have a look around before making my way back to Lake Garda. It was about a 2km run into the centre, so I jogged it in.

What a place.

There’s a massive Roman arena right in the middle of the city, surrounded by old buildings, open squares, and parks. I spent a couple of hours just wandering. No plan, just walking and taking it all in. I gave Mum and Dad a call while I was cruising around, which was nice. Grabbed a coffee and kept moving.

I ended up over near the river, where there’s an old castle and a bridge crossing over. Kept walking, still half in a daze, and eventually realised I’d drifted right out the other side of Verona, heading back towards Lake Garda.

That’s when the idea hit.

The run into town had been good… why not just run back?

It was about 24km. A fair effort, but if the scenery stayed anything like what I’d just seen, it’d be worth it.

So I committed.

Before heading off, I grabbed a chicken roll and some water from a little local spot, then got moving. First 5km felt great. I set a loose plan, run 5km, walk 500m, repeat.

Once I got out of the city, it turned into vineyard after vineyard. Snow-capped mountains in the distance. Proper postcard stuff. Only downside, no footpaths. I was running along the edge of the road into oncoming traffic, but everyone gave me plenty of space. Heaps of cyclists out too.

Around halfway, I came into a small town and ended up walking the whole way through it. Tight streets, old buildings, heaps of character. One of those places you don’t expect but end up loving.

Back out the other side, I tried to get running again but the legs were starting to feel it. Not long after, the route turned off-road. Dirt tracks winding through vineyards, gravel roads, then back onto bitumen, then off again. It was all over the place, but honestly, really nice.

By this stage, though, I was on a bit of a deadline. Kia had messaged saying the people running the hub were coming to say hello. Originally 3pm, and I was thinking I might not get back until 3:30.

So it turned into a bit of a push to get home.

While I was out doing all that, the kids were living their best life back at the park. Pool, playground, hanging out with the Austrian kids. Kia got a bit of time to herself and started figuring out what the place had to offer.

When I finally got back, wrecked and sore, Kia and I had a quick chat and then headed down to the pool.

The pool setup here is unreal.

There’s a full water park with slides, plus lap lanes, kids areas, everything. And that’s just one pool. The rest are still closed because it’s early in the season, but even this one alone is massive.

We hung out there for hours just watching the kids. Eventually they shut the pool, which was probably a good thing because we’d been trying to get the kids out for ages.

That night, Christian and Raphael had organised a bit of a hub get-together down by the lake. We got everyone sorted, quick showers, dinner, and headed down.

Such a good group of people.

We sat by the lake chatting as the sun slowly went down. The evenings here just stretch on forever, so time kind of slips away. Next thing it’s 8:30 and we realise it’s getting late, everyone’s tired, kids need bed.

Got back, but the kids weren’t done yet. They wanted to chat, ask questions, talk about everything. Before we knew it, it was 9:30 before they were finally settling down.

Another late one.

But honestly, what a day. First full day at Lake Garda, and it delivered.