LAKE ISEO (Italy): Relaxed Fun for Families with Autistic Children
- 12 hours ago
- 8 min read
The beautiful Lake Iseo is a destination in its own right, with plenty of hotels and campsites along it shores.
It also makes a really fun day trip for families with kids who enjoy spending time in the water.
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Why did we choose Lake Iseo for a day trip with our autistic children?
Lake Iseo is the smallest of Lombardy's 4 major lakes, and when compared with its bigger rivals such as Lake Maggiore, Lake Como and Lake Garda, you can see why it appeals to a more discerning crowd. Around a 2 hour drive from Milan 9and only an hour from Bergamo), Lake Iseo attracts fewer day trip visitors then the other lakes. Most people who visit choose to stay nearby either alongside or near its shores.
We first heard about it from family friends who had stayed at one of it's lakeside campsites the previous summer. Their photos of crystal clear water and mountain scenery were stunning, and convinced us to take the boys and see for ourselves. After two great day trips, we can confirm they were right. There is loads for families to do (including our autistic one), and if we ever return to Lombardy we would definitely stay near or on the shores of Lake Iseo. We really enjoyed our time here and had more fun than we were expecting!
Read on to discover why we'd recommend Lake Iseo as a great day trip for families with autistic kids and why we have such fond memories of our visits.
OUR FAVOURITE FAMILY ACTIVITIES AT LAKE ISEO
We decided to visit Lake Iseo as a day trip during our 4 night stay in Bergamo's old town. Like many waterside places in Italy, Lake Iseo's public "beaches" are few and far between. The general practice is to pay to use a sun lounger - which also provides you with access to facilities which range in quality. Extensive reading suggested that the best way to enjoy Lake Iseo with the boys was to visit and book a sun lounger at the Il Lido di Iseo Beach Club. In addition to the sun loungers it also offered a restaurant, clean toilet / changing facilities, direct access to the lake, and the use of the neighbouring campsite's two swimming pools, basketball court, beach volleyball court and playground.
The best of Il Lido di Iseo Beach Club
Fresh water swimming:
Our boys love the beach, but they don't always love the hot sand - or the salt water! The beauty of Italy's lakes is the fresh water, and Lake Iseo was no exception. As a pre-alpine lake it derives its water primarily from the Oglio River, which itself captures water from alpine rainfall and melt from the Adamello glacier.
This makes the water clear, clean and wonderful to swim in. While the lake bed itself can be a little slippery, rocky and squelchy underfoot, there is no sand to get all over you and the water (which is safe to drink) doesn't sting your eyes or taste disgusting - the boys loved it.
It was so hot during our two visits in August that it was a relief to take a dip, and at around 26 - 28 degrees the water temp was very pleasant - enough to be refreshing without being cold, and only slightly cooler than a swimming pool.
In the water off the Il Lido beach club the lake gets deeper gradually, and the boys could paddle out a reasonable distance before it was up to their waists. It was great knowing there was no sudden ledge that would plunge them into deep water, which can happen in other areas of Lake Iseo, so it pays to be careful about where you enter the water.
Tandem Kayaking:
On our first day trip to the Il Lido beach club we were content to just splash and play around in the lake and use the pool. However on our second visit we decided to try the boys on a two person kayak (it cost 10 euro for around an hour).
After initially feeling very apprehensive, it was their first ever time trying anything like this, the boys agreed to hop on while we held the kayak steady in the water and then gently walk around with them. The lack of waves and the fact they could see the bottom of the lake definitely helped. As their confidence grew they agreed to going out a bit further with one of us on the back seat doing the paddling. J had a go paddling around with our youngest, while I took our eldest out. It was a huge success and was a real highlight of the holiday - the boys LOVED it. I think the calm lake waters really helped; and we made sure to stay within the designated safe paddling zone so there were no other motorised crafts to worry about. I cannot tell you how much J and I enjoyed the chance to encourage the boys out of their comfort zone, and to see the looks of wonder on their face as they enjoyed the results of their bravery!
Our only regret was that we hadn't hired the kayaks on our first day trip, so we could have had two turns! I would love to post an image of the experience, but it was all so exciting and in the moment that we didn't even think to take a photo!
Swimming pool and waterslide:
From an adult perspective swimming in the lake itself, surrounded by the stunning scenery, incredible mountains and distant villages was something very special. Much of this was lost on the boys though, and while I would have happily spent the entire time on Lake Iseo's waters, they could not ignore the lure of the campsite's swimming pool, and their first ever waterslide!
Booking a lounger at the beach club also gave us access to the neighbouring campsite facilities, including its two pools. The bigger of the two was just the other side of the beach club restaurant, through a special gate that required a wrist band. The other one turned out to be a considerable walk away across the campsite to the far side, and when we got there much more functional with no added extras - although admittedly very quiet. It was also right next to a pretty cool playground. Unfortunately its situation in full sun with little shade meant it was basically deserted. The midday heat made the sand boiling hot and the equipment too hot to use in a meaningful way; in the end even our boys gave up.
Unsurprisingly the boys preferred the main pool, its appeal was the waterslide - an open half tube that started high enough to be exciting and had a few twists and turns before a sudden rush and quick splash into the water. It was pretty tame, but with a bit of practice it was possible to pick up some impressive speed. The pool also featured a large circular rainfall in the middle of the pool, it was pretty loud and the water fell with some force, our youngest was excited by whole sensory experience and kept going back, he couldn't get enough of it. The pool was very busy though so it was nice that we could escape back to the relative peace and calm of Il Lido and relax on the sun loungers. My eldest son needed this break the most and it was good he could chill out in the shade with some screen time when the noise in the pool became a bit much.
Al fresco dining with a view
The Il Lido di Iseo beach club also offers a lunch restaurant with tables outside and under a covered verandah. From its tables you can look out across the sun loungers and across beautiful Lake Iseo, it really was a great view. Myself, J and our eldest all really enjoyed our meals, and they were very relaxed about our other son eating his own packed lunch at the table. Given how busy it was (it was a bank holiday) the service was good and the food hot and fresh. While the boys had pizza / burger I choose from the specials menu both days - and it reminded me how much I love well cooked Italian food! The plate of grilled artichokes was truly heavenly. Given we don't eat out in the evenings it was great to be able to treat ourselves during the day!
Lake Iseo ice-cream:
There is no limit on how long you can use the sun-loungers for at Il Lido di Iseo. They just ask that when you leave to turn them over so that they know they are availble for reselling on to walk-ins. By around 3pm the boys had finally spent enough time in the lake and the pools, so we decided it was time to head back to Bergamo. First though we went for a little drive around the lake to find somewhere for ice-cream. We drove through Clusane towards Paratico and were enjoying the everchanging views when we spotted a gelataria called Mologni Gelato. It had parking and a lake side location with some free outside tables. What can I say - the gelato was delicious and it was a great way to end the afternoon. If you are in the area I would recommend stopping by.
FINAL THOUGHTS ON VISITING LAKE ISEO WITH OUR AUTISTIC CHILDREN
We would definitely recommend Lake Iseo to any family looking for a fun day of swimming and ice cream. Although we were happy to base ourselves at Il Lido di Isel with the kids there is plenty more to see and do - particularly if the weather is cooler and you are feeling active.
In the centre of the lake is Monte Isola (more information here), a car free island mountain with 12 different hamlets or small villages. You can get ferries to it from a couple of different towns around the lake. Our friends did this and enjoyed it, although they said it was a very steep walk up to the sanctuary viewing point at the top of the tallest hill. Although we didn't have time to visit the island on this trip, I would definitely do it next time, so it is worth looking into.
You could also visit one of the giant "Big Benches" that have been installed at beauty spots around the lake. They offer walkers and explorers a place to rest and take in the incredible views across the lake. For more inormation and a list of locations of these fun benches visit the Lake Iseo Tourist website.
Whatever you decide to do at Lake Iseo, we hope you enjoy yourselves as much as we did, and make sure to give the kayaking a go, or perhaps even a paddleboard!
Happy travels x
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