They’re just as good as the sea. The water’s crystal clear, they have beaches for sunbathing and offer a host of water sports and swimming in a beautiful mountain setting. We’re talking about lakes, a great alternative to the sea if you want somewhere to cool down in the summer. But that's not all. They offer a practically endless choice of sports and allow you to connect with nature and enjoy a healthy, active holiday.
THE SHAPES OF WATER
Let’s start with swimming, always considered a complete and varied sport which is suitable for all ages and fitness levels. The important thing about swimming is to take it slowly. Start off with a couple of strokes along the bank and gradually build up your time and distance. It’s a great way to develop muscle mass, get exercise without placing any stress on your joints and strengthen your cardiovascular system, as well as your metabolism. Swimming is also the starting point for all other water sports. A trip out in a canoe or a kayak will be safer if you can swim and you can tailor these two versatile sports to your tastes, opting for either a relaxing paddle on a lake or an exhilarating white water ride down a river. You also need to know how to swim if you want to try standup paddleboarding (SUP), where you paddle while standing on a surf board. It gives your abdominals a great workout, improves your coordination and balance and is also relaxing thanks to your natural surroundings. Riding the waves with a surfboard or kite not only gets your adrenaline pumping but also builds muscle tone and improves your concentration and reflexes. There are plenty of lakeside schools, like open-air gyms, which can help you learn or improve these skills.
LOOK OUT FOR THE BLUE FLAG
If you’re going to learn a new water sport, you may as well do it somewhere which has a Blue Flag, the symbol awarded to resorts for the quality of their water and their correct environmental management. In Trentino both Lake Caldonazzo, the largest lake in Valsugana, and Lake Levico, which is surrounded by greenery and is shaped a bit like a Norwegian fjord, have been awarded Blue Flags. The prestigious award has also been given to Gardone Riviera, on the Brescia side of Lake Garda, Cannero Riviera, a town on Lake Maggiore and Gozzano, a village lying on the romantic Lake d’Orta. In Abruzzo you could visit Lake Scanno, with its distinctive heart shape, or in Lazio the vast natural oasis of Lake Bracciano in the natural park.
YOUR OWN PRIVATE LITTLE LAKE
But there’s another way of enjoying the water-body relationship. It’s with a mini pool in the privacy of your own home. If you fancy having your own little private lake, check out Water Dream, designed by Giovanna Talocci and Marco Pallocca. It is ideal if you want to exercise, using the natural resistance of the water, or if you just want to relax, thanks to the different whirlpool programmes which are combined with coloured lights for a real wellness experience, any season of the year. And there’s the added bonus that the water can be kept in the pool for long periods of time without having to empty it every time.
