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Mention 'Lamborghini' in MailOnline land and it's usually a story about an uninsured supercar being towed away in Knightsbridge... or another that's burst into flames on a motorway.

But here in the village of Cisano, sandwiched between Lazise and Bardolino on the eastern shore of Lake Garda, the only Lamborghinis you're likely to see are tractors - trundling along country lanes in the shadow of the Dolomite mountains.

My family, including three young daughters, are in Italy for a week, based at San Vito campsite in a mobile home (two bedrooms, kitchenette, air conditioning and more British plug sockets than you can shake a 'stecco' at).

Nick and his family spent a week in Lake Garda, based at a campsite in the village of Cisano, sandwiched between Lazise and Bardolino

The girls explore the water's edge at sunset. The views are spectacular, with the Dolomite mountains in the distance - but watch out for cyclists... they're everywhere

Among other things, Saint Vitus (San Vito) was the patron saint of protection against oversleeping but there's little chance of our kids being late risers while they're here. They're too excited.

Each morning, we rise to nature's alarm clock - a dawn chorus of birds chirping in the trees that surround our small but snug home, which even has decking for al fresco dining.

Before we explore beyond the campsite, we familiarise ourselves with the swimming pool situation – and head for the most child-friendly of the three: it has two helter-skelter water slides and the shallow end is ankle deep.

(Swimming hats are apparently compulsory but it's only on the last day of our trip that the 'Baywatch' police instruct everyone to wear them.) 

There's also a playground on site and a very energetic 'Happy Disco' for the little ones every evening, more of which later.

But the main attraction is not far away: a five-minute stroll takes you to the banks of beautiful Lago di Garda, the country's biggest lake – 34 miles long and 11 miles wide.

We took the cable car ('funivia') ride to the top of Monte Baldo in Malcesine (a medieval town 40mins' drive north of Cisano). Above, middle child Katie poses at the summit next to a cable car prop

Baldo is known as the Garden of Europe: its grassy slopes are dotted with orchids, edelweiss and buttercups, complemented by the flutter of butterflies. It offers majestic views of Lake Garda (unless you are my youngest daughter, who was terrified we'd all fall off the mountain)

Near the shore, ducks and swans swim among the bullrushes, while clouds of midges do their best to annoy sunbathers and swimmers.

Fishermen and scuba divers venture further out, steering clear of the numerous catamarans, pedaloes, and larger boats ferrying holidaymakers around.

And jetties by the lake give our young ones the chance to play 'count the fish' - which was fun, even though we saw a dead trout floating on the surface.

While taking in the views of snow-capped peaks in the distance, keep an eye on the lakeside path: cyclists come along about once every 20 seconds.

In fact, everywhere we went we saw cyclists. I half-expected to find one hiding in our fridge.

Much to my girls' delight, there's no shortage of pizzerias and ice-cream vendors on the waterfront.

Although self-catering is economical, eating out needn't break the bank: many restaurants do a margherita for 4.5 euros – and just one is big enough to feed three child-sized mouths.

But watch out for hidden costs. Some bills include a coperto ('cover charge') of around two euros per person.

Little Lucy stands on the decking of our home for the week - a mobile home (two bedrooms, kitchenette, air conditioning and more British plug sockets than you can shake a 'stecco' at)

A great day trip, if you're not afraid of heights, is the cable car ('funivia') ride to the top of Monte Baldo in Malcesine (a medieval town 40mins' drive north of Cisano).

It whizzes up to the 5,800ft summit, with a brief stop-off halfway. The panoramic views of the lake are spectacular - and you're within walking distance of alpine snow.

Baldo is known as the Garden of Europe: its grassy slopes are dotted with orchids, edelweiss and buttercups, complemented by the flutter of butterflies.

(Unfortunately, our little Lucy didn't share our sense of wonder and was terrified we'd somehow fall off the mountain. Our expedition went downhill quickly, quite literally, after that.) 

Eating out needn't break the bank. Many restaurants in the area do a margherita for 4.5 euros - and just one is big enough to feed three child-sized mouths

Closer to the campsite is a fascinating museum that pays tribute to that most Italian of foodstuffs: olive oil.

A brief walk up the Via Peschiera leads to the Museum of Olive Oil (Museo dell'Olio d'Oliva).

The oil has been made in the region for more than a thousand years, and here, you can learn about early and modern production techniques (aided by English film commentary) – from the special tongs used to remove the olives from trees to the extraction of the oil itself.

Among the exhibits is an old olive press complete with grindstone.

Such machines were powered by donkey, with the poor beast forced to go around in a circle to turn the mill wheel and grind the olive pulp.

To prevent dizziness, the donkey was blindfolded.

Thankfully, everything is fully mechanised these days – with cultivation to bottling possible in just 48 hours.

The gift shop has a dazzling array of olive oil products for sale, including sauces, wines, vinegar and cosmetics.

Our girls snaffled quite a lot of olive bread from the taster counter – I can't blame them as it was delicious.

We also took a ferry from Bardolino to Sirmione, on Garda's western shore. Hundreds of tourists flock to the picturesque peninsula town every day to visit the Roman ruins.

During the 40min voyage, there are plenty of places to sit inside but the best views are outside on the upper deck at the front – but you'll have to move fast as the seats get taken quickly.

The only Lamborghinis you're likely to see around here are tractors, trundling along country lanes in the shadow of the Dolomite mountains

The main attraction is not far away from the campsite - a 5min stroll takes you to the banks of beautiful Lago di Garda, the country's biggest lake, 34 miles long and 11 miles wide

For our eldest, Jessica, the highlight of her stay was Caneva Aquapark, near Lazise.

It has every conceivable water slide with names such as Pirates Lagoon and Shark Bay.

It wasn't cheap and the water was cold – but she loved every slidey, wet minute of it.

Each day concluded with the same ritual: Happy Disco.

Night after night, the enthusiastic Animation team was on stage to lead the campsite kids through dance moves on the moonlit shore of the lake.

The lyrics to most of the bop-along songs were in Dutch or German - not that this bothered my girls.

They got to party, stay up late (10pm!) and, most importantly, it made sure they slept well. 

Day trips: Cable car to Monte Baldo: 45 euros for two adults, three children. (This was the cheaper post-3pm price.); Boat across the lake: 46 euros for return for family of five; Olive oil museum: free entry; Caneva Aquapark: 25 euros (adult); 19 euros (child).