With pallid blue and matte silver expanses of water, this autumn-time visit to northern Italy’s Lago di Garda was strangely peaceful in what would normally be a tourist-filled haven. With pops of colour in the form of florals decorating the quaint town of Sirmione and friendly ducks and geese abound, a trip to Lake Garda serves as the perfect backdrop for a day trip from Milano.
A transformed industrial area with a quiet community and a peaceful, early morning charm played the role of home base for my stay in Switzerland. University students, bars, cobblestone paths and a lively night market set the backdrop for Winterthur.
While Zurich is often mistaken for Switzerland's capital, it is in fact the whimsical beauty that is Bern.
Nearing the French region of Switzerland, Bern plays host to the famed Tour de France each year, and is home a most unlikely yet adorable symbol; the bear. Not only can you visit them in an open enclosure known as Bärengraben, but keep your eyes peeled for the symbol of the bear all around the town's infrastructure.
A Swiss Venice if there ever was one, Lucerne was the quaint, fresh and Sunday-stroll-worthy setting for a family day. Touristy, yes - but with such an impressive lake filled with flowers, a carnival and a rowing regatta, it was certainly for good reason.
And of course, what trip to Switzerland would be complete without a visit to the famed Zurich? With an Old Town to rival any iconic European city's, the atmosphere had a certain comfort and chillness about it to contrast some of the more fiery passions of neighbouring countries.