India, March 18 -- For years, my idea of an Italian summer lived along the shores of Lake Garda. Not in the obvious ways-in villas or aperitivo hours-but in the quiet choreography of daily life in places I visited with family for years. Reading on the pebbled shores of Gargnano, marvelling at the orange trees lining every street in Salo, and gorging on calzones in Riva. Mornings began with still water and soft light, sometimes followed by an early swim before the day warmed. Afternoons stretched easy. Meals arrived without ceremony-simple pastas, lake fish, tomatoes that tasted impossibly alive. Evenings came softly, shaped by conversation rather than agenda.

Lago di Garda is often described as the laid-back alternative to Como, but that...