The couple who went in search of a dragon then climbed a mountain

#Drago #Garda #lakeGarda #RoccadiGarda #MadonnadelPign 

Before visiting a holiday resort, we like to research the area for things to see and do. This includes day trips, sights of interest and artwork. 
We decided on a few towns along the lake that would be worth a visit and a organised tour. We also like to find local galleries and sculptures. Our daughter likes dragons and seeing there was a sculpture on the seafront this was added to the list. There was also local viewpoint on the mountain but seeing it in the distance we weren't inspired to climb it, although I did manage to do a quick sketch of it in the distance.

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Dragon Quest

After a couple of days acclimatising and exploring the area, we set off on our quest to find the elusive beast only to realise that we had passed within yards of it on our evening walks. Also it was only five minutes from our hotel. What to do now!

Onwards and Upwards

After admiring the sculpture, I had seen a picture of another sculpture, the Madonna del Pign that was just up the road. As we had found the dragon so quickly we decided to wander up the road to find this sculpture.
The road climbed steeply out of the centre of town, before going past some small houses and then we came to a sign post. Without realising it, we were already a third of the way up the mountain, at this point it seemed a shame not to continue to the top, as we could see the sculpture later on the way down.
This seemed a good idea at the time but the road soon ended and we were then in the forest on a stone lined pathway. This seemed to get steeper and steeper as we went on, although often in the shade it was still very hot and hard going. Exhausted we reached near the top where we saw our first other intrepid explorers resting on benches, which we thought was a good idea. After resting, and yet another steep climb, we were soon at the top and followed the pathway to the viewpoints, which were as impressive as described, looking over Garda and the other side towards Bardolino.

Going Down

After an enjoyable time walking around the top enjoying the views, we set off to go back down the mountain. This proved to be harder than expected as the loose stones and worn smooth rocks made the going precarious and a lot slower than anticipated. We didn't fancy a damaged ankle ruining the rest of the holiday.
Eventually, we arrived back at the signpost and decided to walk to the statue, which unfortunately, involved a little more climbing of steps, but it was a nice shaded area to sit and admire the Madonna del Pign. 

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Never Again!

Arriving back in the town we treated ourselves to a well deserved drink and ice cream as a reward. We must have been mad to attempt the climb in 32 degrees heat, but the views at the top made it worthwhile.