5 nights at Palace Hotel Desenzano with breakfast and 2 green fees (Golf Club Verona, Arzaga Golf Club)

It only takes a moment to reach the golf club once you exit the A4 motorway at Sommacampagna: drive through the town and after a few minutes, turn right onto the road that rises to the club. It is a timeless oasis, a picture postcard that invites you to relax with its clubhouse built of stone and red bricks covered with ivy, an ancient well spouting geraniums and trees shading the patio in front of the putting green. Inside, the floors in worn terracotta tiles, ceilings with dark wooden beams alternating with bricks, and cozy parlors with a country elegance. This is a traditional club founded in 1963, where those who come here never want to leave. The loyal staff running it thinks so too, as it has remained virtually unchanged over the decades. Two talents of the likes of Silvia Cavalleri and Matteo Manassero took their first golfing steps here, and refined their games on the undulating fairways designed first by John Harris, then revisited by Giulio Cavalsani, and more recently, Alvise Rossi Fioravanti with Baldovino Dassù. It is a hilly course running through vineyards which, to the west of Verona – the city of Romeo and Juliet – serve to frame the hills of Custoza. The front nine are rather narrow and shorter, while the back are very long but also very broad. The raised greens oblige players to hit well calculated approach shots. Technical details Course: 18 holes, Par 72, 6054 meters. Architect: John Harris Topography: very physical with big differences in height. Distinctive features: the equipment for the play will have to be complete: good drivers, precise clubs and the best putters. Pro’s comments This is a course where you must pander to the terrain’s frequent undulations. Some holes are really a lot of fun. Allow me to mention Hole 4, where stronger players who are willing to gamble can try to reach the green directly with their first shots. Otherwise, you can play a tee shot to the left part of the fairway, to have a better angle to center the green with your second shot. Even an inexperienced play can score a birdie here, with a little luck. A fun course for all. Definitely worth playing.