Trentino beyond the snow - Outdoor Swimmer Magazine

Northern Italy is famous for its snowy mountain range and ski resorts, but there is much more on offer at water-level. Ella Foote plunges into cool Italian lakes to find out more

I didn’t grow up in a ski family, or ever take up the ski trips at school, so snow-capped mountains in Europe have never crossed my mind as a winter holiday destination or, in fact, for a swimming adventure. Yet lately I have discovered that many mountain regions that have traditionally been renowned for ski holidays are starting to offer adventure beyond the snow and outdoor swimming is an obvious and natural fit.

The Trentino region is in Northern Italy and is famously known for its mountains, such as the Dolomites, which are part of the Alps. There are more than 800 kilometres of ski slopes in Trentino, which is why it might not have interested you before. But, it also has almost 300 lakes. Most people know the larger lakes, like Lake Garda and you will have heard (and read on page 54) about Molveno, where the sixth IISA World Championship just took place. But there are so many more to explore, swim in and discover.

Italy swim holiday — Ella at the foot of the Brenta Dolomites

I headed to Italy to experience and spectate at the ice swimming championships, the bonus was that the region has so much to offer to outdoor swimmers. The Trentino region in summer, particularly around Lake Garda, is busy with water lovers and outdoor enthusiasts but in winter, most Italians and tourists are in the mountains enjoying the snow. Every swim I had was in solitude and surrounded by beauty.

I flew into Venice, but there are closer airports in Verona and Milan. I hired a car to drive into the mountains, which I was apprehensive about as Italians are notorious for their fast-driving style, but in reality Italy has a lot less traffic than the UK and Italians respect the rules of motorway driving better than us Brits! Much like driving into Scotland, Wales or the Lake District, the views and landscape are mesmerising. Lakes mirror the mountains and sky, which luckily for me, was blue and bright all week. There are miles of road alongside acres of vineyards, which in winter are all twigs but would look completely different in other seasons. Roads are engineered to cut through the mountains with tunnels and hairpin bends in the valleys. Pretty villages, with not much more than local amenities, are peppered with a mix of colourful painted houses and alpine style lodges.

I arrived in Molveno at dusk and was rewarded with the most incredible pink sky, which I got double enjoyment from as Lake Molveno reflected it back to me. I stayed centrally in the town at Hotel Du Lac, which had views of the lake, but most of the accommodation offers similar. I could walk to the water’s edge in less than ten minutes.

Lake Molveno is a glorious body of water. Just 4.4km in length, I found myself wondering what it would be like to return in summer and swim the length of it. It has been voted Italy’s most beautiful and cleanest lake and offers some of the finest beaches in Italy. Beautiful it is and I had an incredible swim here, which was so dreamy I had to ask myself if it was even real. The water, a lovely azure colour, was a reasonable 8ºC with ice in the shallows. As I swum out from the beach, I turned back to where I came from and had a glorious view of the Dolomites with Molveno’s brightly coloured buildings bathed in sunshine just in front. The lake has various swimming areas and beaches, I am told in summer, it is insanely busy. You could easily map, and swim longer distances if temperatures allow, but for a winter swim it was pretty perfect.

A short distance from Molveno is Andalo, a popular ski resort town. Here the vibe is very different, and it was busy. While I had no intention of skiing, I did head up into the mountains to enjoy a snowy alpine walk and a traditional mountain lunch. We took the Paganella cable car up the mountain and walked through snow covered pine forest before enjoying lunch at Chalet Forst. Lunch was pasta, of course, with a venison ragu. We shared the restaurant mainly with skiers, which was a real spectacle for me, as it is a pastime that has passed me by. But much like the swimming community, the ski community have a good thing going and I could totally see the appeal.

After a warming lunch I headed back to Molveno and drove along the lake-view road to Lake Nembia for a second swim. This little lake is just 400m long and 120m wide, it would make a super training lake as it is only a few meters deep. Being shallow, it was a lot colder than Lake Molveno and the sun had disappeared behind the mountains. The clarity of the water here was impressive, I could see all the fish as I got in. There is a lovely circular walk around the lake, which is under three kilometers long and flat, so if you travel with non-swimming pals you could easily stay together to explore both on land and in the water. Again, I pretty much had the place to myself. A father and young son watched as I got in and then asked in Italian if it was cold. When I said, a little, the boy laughed.

The following day I woke and spent the morning at the IISA event, which was now in full-swing. The locals were all fascinated by the swimmers who had descended on their town to swim in the icy water. Before I left the area to start my journey back south, I took the Molveno panoramic cable car and then my first chairlift, the Palon di Tovre, up to the foot of the Brenta Dolomites. Here you can enjoy views of Lake Molveno and the Dolomites as well as explore further on foot or sledge back down! I had the most incredible gnocchi in Rifugio La Montanara before heading back down to travel to my next destination, Lake Garda.

I don’t really have a list of destinations across the world I hope to visit one day, but Lake Garda has always been a wish in my mind. Of course, the main appeal is the 52km long lake, Italy’s largest. It is one of Italy’s most popular tourist destinations and I can see why. Travelling from Molveno I drove through the Trentino and Paganella mountain regions experiencing more incredible views and stopped on the way for a dip in Lake Tenno. Tenno is known as a turquoise diamond and sits north of Lake Garda. It has a small island and sometimes a second ‘secret’ island if the water is low enough. The water was low when I visited, but I could only spot one island. Again, the colour of the water offers huge appeal, if I was with other swimmers I would have wanted to swim out and around the island I could see. Tenno is popular in summer – but I had it to myself!

By the time I got to Lake Garda I had lost the light, perhaps one of the downsides to winter, shorter days for exploring. I stayed in Parc Hotel Flora in Riva del Garda, which was just a three-minute walk to the water’s edge. In the basement of this hotel there is a small spa with bubble pool, sauna, steam room and cold water plunge pool. It is also within walking distance of the centre where there are shops, restaurants and cafes. Riva del Garda is the main tourist destination at the northern end of the lake. It reminded me of the south of France near Nice, it had a very sophisticated scene with beautiful shops. The locals wore fur coats and largely stayed home as it was so cold; the streets were empty.

I had an incredible meal La Còrt Cucina in the town centre where I ate octopus and drank the local, regional wines. The next morning, I walked (almost skipped) to the water to finally swim in Lake Garda. The water was gin-clear, the beach lined with soft grey pebbles and the mountains were lit up orange from the rising sun. I swam solo, immersed in this Italian landscape baffled not to see another swimmer. It seems the winter swimming bug hasn’t yet reached Italy.

Desperately running out of time and needing to head towards the airport, I finished the trip with one last swim in the area. A short drive from Riva del Garda is another beautiful location, Lake Ledro. This is higher up than Garda, so was a lot colder and huge icicles lined the roadside towards the lake. Ledro is reputed to be one of the cleanest lakes in Trentino and in summer the water reaches 24ºC. Surrounded by dense forest, this lake is greener in colour but still offers clear water. My swim here was quick because I was short of time, but it also felt colder than the others.

Many of the Italian towns and villages follow a similar pattern of opening shops as they do in Spain. They close for three hours in the middle of the day, reopening in the afternoon into the evening. In low season the streets are quiet and some shops didn’t open at all. I imagine in spring the area would offer beautiful flower and fauna, as well as warmer days while the water still has a zing. But, if you are longing for solitude, peace and clear emerald waters, winter in Trentino is swimming utopia!