An Idyllic Farmstay in Remote Italy

I ended up at the Agriturismo Cascina Reciago after a rapid decision to change travel plans, a coin toss (literally), and a failed attempt to book an AirBnB.  Since we had an extra unplanned week in Italy, we quickly had to make a decision on where to travel after Marseille.  After some advice from friends and research, we had it narrowed down to Lake Garda or Bologna.  We flipped a coin and Lake Garda won. After failing to secure an AirBnB, we stumbled upon the farmstay option on Booking.com and, intrigued, booked a room at Agriturismo Cascina Reciago for two nights.  

The relaxing hammock and garden in front of the farm stay.

We took a very long train from Marseille.  Most of the train journey was along the French riviera and the Italian coastline.  It was gorgeous and I hope I can visit there someday!  We changed trains in Milan, had enough time to get dinner and instantly remembered that we were in Italy, where even train station pizza exceeds anything top-notch anywhere else.

When we arrived in Desenzano del Garda, it was late at night and humid.  Once we arrived at our farm stay, an adorable little kitten darted across the sidewalk!  The owner told us in his minimal English that there were four "small cats!" The word for "kitten" was something I quickly learned in Italian, "gattino." 

The produce grown in the garden is used for breakfast.

We woke up to a gorgeous view of the mountains and Lake Garda and a great homemade breakfast full of produce from the garden.  Most members of the family who own the farm don't speak any English, but they were very friendly and welcoming and the grandma even did our laundry for us!

Of course, I loved all the animals: horses, sheep, roosters, chickens, a dog, a cat, and the kittens!

One of the friendly Desenzano horses.

The only downside to Desenzano is that we needed to take a taxi to get to the town because the roads are not pedestrian friendly.  We only spent a few hours in the town, but went to a lovely market and spent some time on the lake.

Spending time by the picturesque Lake Garda

We spent some time just enjoying the gorgeous farm stay and, not wanting to hire a taxi again to get dinner, tried to order from a pizza delivery place.  The language barrier was quite high in Desenzano and it took multiple attempts for us and the lady on the phone to understand our order and location.  She did eventually arrive, by bike, with our pizzas laughing at her minimal English and our even more minimal Italian!

Watching the gorgeous sunset from our balcony

We only had one day and two nights in Desenzano, but I really hope to return!  For a less traditional Italian destination with a laid back pace and incredible scenery, I definitely recommend this farm stay!