In summer Lake Lavarone is a party: children, pedalos, towels. In autumn it becomes something else, and anyone who only knows it in August would not recognise it.
From October the water stays still for most of the day, the reeds turn yellow, and the beeches on the far shore light up against the spruces. You get everywhere without waiting. Same place, volume turned down.
The light, which is the real attraction
At 1,100 metres in autumn the sun stays low all day, which means the so-called golden hour is not an hour: it is most of an afternoon. The light comes in sideways, the lake doubles it, and even a badly taken photograph comes out well. The sharpest moment is late afternoon, when the far slope warms to orange and the water sits still.
What you actually do
- The lake loop — two flat kilometres, a good half hour. In autumn it is a different walk from the summer one: you can hear your own footsteps.
- Photograph the reflections — early morning and late afternoon, when there is no wind.
- Head up onto the paths — with the forest turning. The options are in what to do at Lake Lavarone.
- Nothing at all — on the jetty, with something hot. That is a choice, not a fallback.
What to wear
The mountain rule applies: layers. Here in autumn the morning bites and the early afternoon warms up, with as much as ten degrees between them in the same day. Closed shoes and a light windproof jacket solve ninety per cent of it.
Staying here. Bazzario sits on the shore of Lake Lavarone: you wake up, open the window, and the lake is already there. Eight rooms, all different, none of them looking like a hotel room.
And if it rains
It rains here too. But a mountain lake under rain, watched from indoors with something hot in your hand, is not exactly a wasted day. And if you want to go out anyway, the Great War forts are half underground: the rain does not reach them. They are in what to see in Lavarone.
Frequently asked questions
Is Lake Lavarone worth visiting in autumn?
Yes. In autumn Lake Lavarone loses the summer crowds, the water stays still for much of the day and the shores turn with the foliage. The low light makes late afternoon particularly good for photographs.
Can you swim in Lake Lavarone in autumn?
The bathing season ends in mid-September. In autumn the lake is for looking at and walking round: the Bazzario beach closes at the end of the season and reopens the following summer.
How long does the Lake Lavarone loop take?
The ring around the lake is about 2 kilometres, almost entirely flat, and takes a little over half an hour at a comfortable pace.
How should you dress at Lake Lavarone in autumn?
In layers. At 1,100 metres there can be ten degrees between morning and early afternoon: closed shoes and a light windproof jacket are the essentials.
