Garda Lake, places to visit?

The largest and most famous in Italy

Lake Garda has always been a tourist destination, and its climate has allowed the growth of a typically Mediterranean type of vegetation: lemon and orange groves, cedar trees, olive groves and vineyards.

Sirmione

Sirmione is located about 20 minutes after Desenzano on a long, narrow peninsula that projects into the lake for almost four kilometres, which was once the residence of the poet Catullus who sang about the area in his verses.

A thermal spa, whose waters flow from the bottom of the lake, is the town’s most important attraction together with the Grotte of Catullus, the remains of a large residence dating back to the imperial Roman era. The town centre and the lakeside of Sirmione are dominated by the imposing Rocca Scaligera, a solid defensive structure with crenulated walls, a tower and a keep.

Desenzano

Rich in artistic, historic and archaeological heritage, the heart of Desenzano develops around Malvezzi Square and the Ancient Harbour, with the XVI century palaces by Giulio Todeschini, a famous architect from Brescia.

The archaeological area, a must visit, houses the ruins of a magnificent IV century Roman Villa with splendid multicoloured and mosaic flooring, the Museum of Archaeology, with one of the most ancient ploughs of the world, and the panoramic Tower of S.Martino della Battaglia

Peschiera del Garda

Peschiera del Garda preserves many historical testimonies: defensive and military architectures, palaces, churches and sanctuaries like the Sanctuary of the Madonna del Frassino, visited by thousands of faithful. Moreover, thanks to its natural environment, Peschiera is the ideal place for a holiday on the lake.

Peschiera offers long beaches and the bike path along the river Mincio that allows you to take long walks on foot and by bike, starting from Porta Brescia and along the ramparts of the walls of the sixteenth century.

Brescia

Brescia is just a few minutes from Lake Garda. Worth a visit to admire the archaeological area of the Roman Forum, the Longobard monastery of San Salvatore-Santa Giulia, the Broletto, the Rotonda, the Loggia and the Castle. Brescia also keeps, in its churches and museums, works by famous artists such as Romanino, Foppa, and Savoldo and Moretto.

Brescia offers the pleasure and charm of strolling through beautiful squares, arcades and palaces to reach one of the most extensive Roman archaeological sites in northern Italy, with the Capitolium, the Sanctuary, the Roman Theater, the domus and one of the largest Italian museum complexes, Santa Giulia-City Museum, registered in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The route along the Brescian shore of Garda leads to Salò, Gardone Riviera with the Vittoriale degli Italiani, which was inhabited by the poet Gabriele D’Annunzio, and Malcesine, from where you can take a cable car to reach the top of Mount Baldo and enjoy fabulous panoramic views.

Gardone Riviera

Gardone Riviera is a renowned holiday resort on Lake Garda. It offers numerous parks and gardens and historic villas. During the summer, in Gardone there are many musical and cultural events. Gardone is also famous for the Vittoriale degli Italiani, the imposing residence of the poet Gabriele d'Annunzio, that houses a museum.

In Gardone Riviera, the nature lovers can visit the botanical garden Hruska (André Heller Foundation), to admire plant species from all over the world, on a path between rocks and small lakes.

Sailing and windsurfing on Lake Garda

All year, on Lake Garda is possible to go sailing thanks to the presence of constant winds: the Ora and the Pelér. This steady and punctual flow of air is the driving force behind sailing events of high standard organised on the lake. Instead, the northern part of the lake is the best place for those who like windsurfing or want to learn the secrets of this sport.

Specialities of Lake Garda

The local cuisine is influenced by the traditional food and wine specialties of the three regions that overlook Lake Garda.
Among the renowned products is the extra virgin olive oil, famous for its lightness and delicacy, the citrus from Garda, in particular the lemons that are also used to create the limoncino and cream of the Riviera dei Limoni.
The wines are also very famous: Nosiola, Merlot, Cabernet and Vino Santo of the northern lands, the Garda Classico Groppello della Valtenesi and the southern vineyards of Bardolino and Lugana.

Text by Angela Trivigno

Avion Tourism Magazine
Photos: Sisterscom.com, Shutterstock

Video: www.visitgarda.com

Tourism Board

www.visitgarda.com

Tourist Offices

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Piazzale Betteloni, 15

Peschiera del Garda

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Corso Repubblica, 8

Gardone Riviera

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Via Porto Vecchio, 34

Desenzano

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Piazza Campiello

Sirmione

Where to sleep in Lake Garda

Lake Garda and the countries that overlook the lake offer different possibilities of stay in hotels equipped with every comfort.

To find the ideal hotel and the best offers you can do a search for stars but also for towns or landmarks.

STARS

Hotels for stars of Lake Garda, differentiated by type of services:

TOWNS ON THE LAKE

Hotel in the towns of the lake:

Brescia

Castelnuovo del Garda

LANDMARKS

Hotels in tourist areas

AIRPORTS

Hotels near the airports

WHERE TO GO in lake garda

Historical Houses in Lake Garda

SIRMIONE CASTLE

From the Scaliger era (XIII century) the Castle of Sirmione with towers, walls and completely surrounded by water is a rare example of port fortification. The dock is the port in which the first scaligere fleets, then Venetian, sheltered. It is possible to visit the castle dock, recently restored, by reservation.

THE VITTORIALE IN GARDONE RIVIERA

Gardone Riviera, on the shores of Lake Garda, is famous for the Vittoriale degli Italiani, the imposing residence of poet Gabriele d’Annunzio. The famous monument, was erected in memory of the life of the poet-soldier and for the deeds of the Italians during the First World War. Nowadays the Vittoriale is a museum visited each year by about 180,000 people.

www.vittoriale.it

VILLA DI CATULLO IN SIRMIONE

Large residential building, datable between the end of the 1st century BC and the beginning of the first century AD, called Villa di Catullo, for the quotations of Sirmione in the poet's verses. Located at the end of the Sirmione peninsula, it is on three different levels to follow the natural inclination of the terrain. Since the Renaissance the villa has been called "Grotte di Catullo" indicating the collapsed rooms, covered by vegetation, where you could enter as in natural cavities.

www.grottedicatullo.beniculturali.it

VILLA BETTONI IN GARGNANO

It is an eighteenth-century villa that develops on four floors, with a balustrade on the top with stone statues of the sculptors Giovanni Battista Locatelli and Francesco Cignaroli.
Inside the Villa Bettoni Gargnano there are antique furniture, rare books and especially frescoed paintings by Beniamino and Fabrizio Galliari and paintings by Canaletto, Paolo Veronese, Palma il Vecchio, Andrea Celesti and Pitocchetto.

Tour and excursions in Lake Garda

SIRMIONE SPAS

Due to the precious sulphurous water, containing sodium chloride, bromine and iodine, flowing naturally from the depths of the lake, the Sirmione Spa centres are advanced in the cure of pathologies of the respiratory system, the treatment of rheumatic complaints and motory rehabilitation. The spa water feeds the “Virgilio” and “Catullo” establishments and a new well-being spa centre, “Aquaria“, that offers numerous courses for relaxation and beauty treatments.

www.termedisirmione.com

MUSEUM OF TORRI DEL BENACO CASTLE

The Scaliger Castle houses an interesting museum of local traditions and has a room dedicated to prehistoric rock engravings in the area. Next to the castle you can also visit the lemon house dating back to the 18th century.

www.museodelcastelloditorridelbenaco.it

MOUNT BALDO

From Malcesine, with the new cableway, is possible to reach the summit of Mount Baldo (1800 m). During the summer, excursionists and nature lovers can hike along the many mountain paths, while in the winter time it’s possible to skiing along the different tracks thanks to the chair lift and six ski-lifts suitable for everyone, for the more experienced, but also for beginners.

GARDALAND

Gardaland Park, situated on the south-eastern banks of the Lake Garda, is the first Amusement Park in Italy and one of largest in Europe. The Amusement Park, suitable for a different audience, offers great variety of attractions and shows. The different thematic areas retrace the world of history and geography, space and fantasy.

www.gardaland.it

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