It was finally time to leave Verona. After double-checking the time and platform, we boarded our train right on time and settled in for Trieste, Italy. A new set of adventures lie ahead, and our excitement is growing.

After our delightful trip to Bergamo, it was time to get serious about packing and getting ready to depart Verona, a place that for two months has become familiar and comfortable, and that we have been calling home.

Italian automotive aesthetic mastery has been exemplified by sleek elegance, understated, clean beauty and an innovative style. It has admirably carried on the tradition and elegance of classic Italian art.

We had planned a visit to Bergamo (pronounced BARE-gah-mo), and we knew that it would require an overnight stay, and for good reason, the city was truly a medieval gem.

They say that accidents most often happen within 40 km (25 mi) of home. Not always, and that can add a whole different dimension. This post was penned by my brother Michael.

My brother and his wife were eager to go on with us someplace that we hadn’t yet visited. As we scrutinized a map, it seemed that there was one very obvious place that we hadn’t gotten to - Padua (It. Padova).

Of bicycling’s three Grand Tours, the Giro d’Italia is the first of the season. Of all the things that my brother Mike was excited about seeing during this visit, being able to see a stage of the Giro d’Italia was at the very top of his list.

Well, even though he stopped being “little” many years ago, he is still my “little brother.” In any case, we were excited that Mike and his lovely wife Kathy, were coming to visit us again, this time in Verona.

The plan was to go up to Monte Baldo, but the day had other plans. The morning was cold, windy, and overcast, so we just wandered. Malcesine is as charming in the early morning as it is in the late evening, even when overcast ... but that would change.

Our brief day-trip to Peschiera made us want to return to Lake Garda and the mountains soon. The weather looked good to spend two nights in the small lake-side town of Malcesine. It was a good move.