IT - Lake Garda

Lake Garda is a lake located between the regions of Lombardy, Trentino-Alto Adige and Veneto.

To know.
Geographical notes:
Lake Garda or Benaco is the largest lake in Italy. It is located between the territories of Brescia, Trento and Verona, its main inlet river is the Sarca river, the emissary is the Mincio. While the other large Lombard lakes are of glacial origin, for Lake Garda there is no certainty about its nature, whether glacial or tectonic. Tourism has always animated its banks, favored by a particularly mild climate.

Flora and fauna:
The mild climate of the lake has given rise to the formation of Mediterranean vegetation. There are crops of orange, lemon, cedar, bergamot. Olive trees and vineyards have been cultivated here since ancient times.

When to go:
The season runs from May to September in the northernmost countries, from March until the Christmas holidays in the lower Garda countries, and the presence of tourists from all over the world is evident throughout the year.

Territories and tourist destinations.

Sirmione Castle
Lombard western and southern shore
1 Desenzano del Garda – Having become the most populous city on the lake, it has undergone a large building development favored by its location now on the plain. It is a destination for young tourism, attracted by the numerous entertainment venues such as ballrooms and pubs.
2 Gardone Riviera – Small elegant center, it enjoys a notable fame in the wake of the legend that was the man and poet D’Annunzio; its Vittoriale is a destination for a very rich tourism.
3 Gargnano – In its mountainous territory pastures and olive trees still support agricultural activities which together with fishing were in the past the cornerstones of its economy; now the village, on the shores of the lake, has also developed a good tourist activity.
4 Limone sul Garda – Tight between the lake and the high rocky walls behind it, Limone enjoys a particularly mild climate that allows the cultivation of olive trees, lemons and cedars not only on the shores of the lake but also on the mountain, so much so that it has been nicknamed Portofino del Garda.
5 Lonato del Garda – The town is actually a few kilometers from the lake, but its territory arrives on its shores, where it developed the center of Lido di Lonato, thanks to which it benefits from the tourist resources of Benaco.
6 Manerba del Garda – Cypresses, olive trees and vines (which produce Rosso del garda surround this peaceful location situated on a promontory in a beautiful position.
7 Moniga del Garda – With its picturesque harbor and numerous campsites and tourist villages, the place is a popular holiday destination. The town is nicknamed Città del Chiaretto from the name of the typical rosé wine, characteristic of Valtenesi, obtained from the grapes of the Groppello grape through a particular fermentation in rosé.
8 Padenghe sul Garda – An imposing fortified complex with a large circle of walls, visible from afar, dominates the town from a hill above the town.
9 Salò – The coastal center is home to supra-municipal administrative offices and is considered the capital of the Lombard shore of the lake. It was the capital, not only of Garda, in the final period of the Second World War, when the city was involved in spite of decidedly much bigger events than her.
10 San Felice del Benaco – On a morainic promontory between the Gulf of Salò and the Gulf of Manerba, it brings together the three small towns of San Felice, Portese and Cisano. The Isola del Garda, privately owned, is part of its territory.
11 Sirmione – It is one of the most well-known centers of the lake, a destination for not only climatic tourism, but also for the day, to visit its famous Catullo Caves, or to carry out curative treatments in its thermal baths.
12 Tignale – Thanks to its position overlooking the lake, it is a destination for international tourism.
13 Toscolano Maderno – The two centers of Toscolano and Maderno form a conurbation that occupies a shell-shaped promontory. Both centers have a beautiful lakefront, more developed than Maderno which is more lively from a tourist point of view than Toscolano, with which it forms a single administrative entity. Toscolano is the Roman Benacum that gave the ancient name to Lake Benaco.
14 Tremosine – It stands on a plateau overlooking the lake and is part of the most beautiful villages in Italy.

Eastern and Southern Venetian shore
15 Bardolino – In addition to the tourist activity, the production of the prized Bardolino wine of the same name. On its lakefront remains of the Scaliger castle and two gates. Its churches are important architectural works.
16 Brenzone – The municipality does not have a main center and a periphery but is made up of 16 small hamlets distributed along the territory.
17 Castelnuovo del Garda – A small part of the municipality is surrounded by the lake, separating the municipalities of Peschiera del Garda and Lazise.
18 Garda – Gives its name to the lake. Its medieval village overlooks the gulf enclosed by the offshoots of Monte Baldo and the moraine hills.
19 Lazise – It was the military outpost of the Scaligeri; in the medieval historical center, the Castle with its walls, the five towers and the towering keep reminds us Its economy is tourist, but it also makes use of trade related to agriculture and breeding.
20 Malcesine – The Scaligeri fortified it with a castle high above the town; in the historical center the Palazzo dei Capitani. A cableway leads up to the Spino stretch, a winter resort at 1780 meters above sea level on Mount Baldo.
21 Peschiera del Garda – On the lower shore of the lake, where the Mincio is formed, its historical core is still surrounded by walls and four corner bastions; the Austrians made it one of the cornerstones of the so-called Quadrilateral with Mantua, Legnago and Verona. The portion of its territory that extends towards Sirmione takes the name of Lugana, where the famous wine of the same name is produced.
22 Punta San Vigilio – It is one of the most enchanting areas of Lake Garda. The Baia delle Sirene is considered to be one of the naturist places in Europe
23 Torri del Benaco – The towers are those of the Scaliger castle which dominates the town; its notoriety is also linked to the red and yellow marble quarries.

Northern Trentino shore
Riva del Garda – It was a Habsburg holiday center, and still retains that elegant and somewhat aristocratic atmosphere that derives from that imperial past. Surrounded by high and dark peaks, it is the northernmost location on the lake.
Torbole – Near the point where the Sarca enters the lake, the town is a well-known and very popular sailing and windsurfing center. Already in the fifteenth century the town was an important destination for travelers along the Atesina road that connected Italy with Germany.

Thermal centers
1 Terme di Sirmione, Piazza Virgilio 1 – Colombare di Sirmione, ☎ +39 030 9904923 (spa reservation center), ☎ 800-802125. The thermal baths of the city of Catullo were already known and frequented by the Romans, and are still a cornerstone of tourism in this center of precious beauty that juts out with its promontory on the waters of the lake.
Other destinations

Isola del Garda (in the center)
Islands
2 Isola del Garda, ☎ +39 328 612 6943, +39 388 497 1640 (Mon-Fri 08: 30-13: 00 – for groups). Simple icon time.svg From Sunday 9 April to Sunday 15 October 2017: on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday, departing from various ports on the lake. Originally the Longobard monastery connected to Brescia, by Regina Ansa, it was also called Schwaben, also known as the “island of Swabia by Federico I Hohenstaufen called Barbarossa”, then Borghese or Isola dei Frati, is the largest island of the homonymous lake. Privately owned, since 2002 it is open to tourist visits. modification
3 San Biagio Island (Rabbit Island) (Private property). modification
4 Trimelone island.
Dream Island.
Island of Olives.