European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 30, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Story and photos by Steve Taylor. Munich Bureau Flowers of All colors overflow Balcony planters in the heat of the August Sun. Pedestrian walkways of Brick wind through spacious gardens and open upon wide Park like squares. Visitors relax under the Shade of Street Side umbrellas. Welcome to Simione a near perfect getaway from the Hustle and Bustle of More Well known a tourist destinations in northeastern Italy. Simione is surrounded on three sides by a Lake that looks like a sea spreading endlessly to the horizon it is perched at the tip of a narrowing strip of i fld that juts but into Lake Garda. Simione is a resort town that feels a Little like Venice but on a smaller and More sedate scale. It is not As Well known As Venice and it is not nearly As big but it has that same romantic air about it. Simione does t have Venice s labyrinth of canals but during the Peak tourist season it does t have Venice s cramp of Farge crowds either. Four Star hotels and restaurants adorn the Little town As do roman and Renaissance ruins and castles. A this is not to say you should t go to Venice. That fabled City should be a must on anyone s itinerary of stops in Northern Italy. But Simione just two hours to the West offers a quieter More relaxing atmosphere that is hard to beat. You must have local hotel reservations to drive into the town but a Large and inexpensive parking lot sits at the town s Entrance. Almost everyone in Simione walks anyway that is the Best Way to take in the atmosphere. At the Entrance is one of the major attractions a 13th-Century moated Castle that belonged to the powerful Scaligeri princes of Verona. A climb to the top free of charge affords a View of the town and Lake Garda. Some 1,300 years before the princes of Verona used Simione As a summer resort it was a favorite of the romans. The roman poet catullus is said to have frequented the Village in the Century before the birth of Christ. Reflecting that roman influence is the Grotte i Catullo left from ancient times. The remains of the roman Villa Are at the far end of the town. Admission is 3,000 lire about $2.80. While Simione is Well endowed with hotels prices can run upward of $200 per night and More. One five Star hotel with grounds fit for a King starts at $225 per night for a single. Dining out can also be costly but meals at the sidewalk restaurants Are fairly reasonable with Many pasta dishes running less than 10,000 lire. The Lake that nearly surrounds Simione is one of Italy s largest and deepest. Popular sports include motor boating water skiing and scuba diving. Ferry service and boat Tours Are available from Simione. From South to North the Lake is about 32 Miles Long and it varies from three to 10 Miles in Width from East to West it is More than 1,100 feet deep in places. Modern roads Circle the Lake making it perfect for a tour. There Are rugged and narrow fjord like inlets in the North and More gentle terrain in the South. The nearest american facilities Are in Vicenza about an hour to the East along the major Milano Venice Highway. Vicenza is the Home of the Southern european task Force and has billeting major base Exchange and a commissary Complex. Tour information can be obtained by calling ets 634-7543 or civilian 0039-44451-7543 after 11 . A 13th-Century Castle once belonging to powerful princes guards the town s Entrance. 6 Tript s Nigg Josinv 30, 1990