Lake Garda West Bank
Poet, soldier, hypochondriac and proto-Fascist, Gabriele d'Annunzio (1863–1938) defies easy definition, and so does his estate. Bombastic, extravagant and…
Must-see attractions in Lake Garda
Lake Garda West Bank
Opened in the mid-2010s and housed in an old monastery a block back from Salò’s ferry dock, Musa’s exhibits are split between a permanent collection that…
Sirmione
Occupying 2 hectares at Sirmione's northern tip, this ruined 1st-century-AD Roman villa is a picturesque complex of teetering stone arches and tumbledown…
Lake Garda
An unusual 100m waterfall that thunders through a vertical limestone tunnel rather than off an open cliff. With the help of metal walkways, you can enter…
Parco Archeologico Rocca di Manerba
Lake Garda West Bank
Protected by Unesco, the gorgeous 'rock of Minerva' juts out scenically into the lake just north of Moniga del Garda. The park contains the remaining low…
Lake Garda
The long mountain ridge that towers above the northeast shores of Lake Garda is known as Monte Baldo. Ironically, the name doesn’t refer to its baldness …
Lake Garda West Bank
In 1943 Salò was named the capital of the Social Republic of Italy as part of Mussolini and Hitler's last efforts to organise Italian Fascism in the face…
Lake Garda West Bank
It's not often you get to explore such a stunning private island, villa and grounds. Anchored just off Salò, this speck of land is crowned with impressive…
Desenzano del Garda
Before the Clooneys and Versaces, wealthy Roman senators and poets had holiday homes on Italy's northern lakes. One survivor is Desenzano’s now-ruined…
Giardino Botanico Fondazione André Heller
Lake Garda West Bank
Gardone's heyday was due in large part to its mild climate, something which benefits the thousands of exotic blooms that fill artist André Heller's…
Lake Garda
This atmospheric museum packs a wealth of history into the rough stone walls of a 14th-century castle. The fortification was built in 1338 as part of the…
Lake Garda
There's old and there's...old. Hemmed in by houses and guarded by an agreeably shabby courtyard north of the main road, this tiny church, dating from the…
Lake Garda
The leafy headland of Punta San Vigilio curls out into the lake 3km north of Garda. An avenue of cypress trees leads from the car park towards a gorgeous…
Lake Garda West Bank
A 300m stroll north from the ferry landing brings you to a beach where gleaming white pebbles fringe shallow crystalline waters. The shore, bar and…
Lake Garda
Some 2km south of Bardolino in Cisano, the most impressive exhibits at this well-laid-out museum are the monster grape presses, some of which used mule…
Sirmione
Expanding their influence northwards, the Scaligeri of Verona built this enormous square-cut castle right at the entrance to old Sirmione. Rising out of…
Lake Garda
From Via Capitanato winding lanes lead to the chalky-white Castello Scaligero. This late-6th-century fortress was built by the Franks and consolidated by…
Lake Garda
Just off the main lake road and walkable from town, the Museo del Vino is set within the Zeni Winery, and rarely has a museum smelt this good. Rich scents…
Lake Garda West Bank
The Toscolano torrent upstream fed numerous paper mills in the Middle Ages and you can follow the riverside road up the wooded Valle delle Cartiere and…
Sirmione
Sirmione's oldest church and its crumbling bell tower date from the 14th century, though it was built on the site of a much older temple. The surprisingly…
Lake Garda
This area of pebble beaches, parkland, picnic spots, paddling toddlers and strolling Italian holidaymakers is also the launchpad for many a waterborne…
Lake Garda
No doubt avoiding the summer tourists, Archduke Albrecht preferred to build his winter palace 5km north of Riva in pretty Arco in 1872. Around it he…
Lake Garda West Bank
Limone's top attraction is this renovated Lemon orchard where you can learn a bit about the region's lemon-growing traditions, sample lemon-infused…
Lake Garda
It's worth timing a visit to Garda to coincide with its exuberant Friday market, one of the biggest on the lake's eastern bank. Look out for Lake Garda…
Lake Garda
The Romanesque Church of Saint Nick, the patron of fishermen, sits squat by the lapping harbour as it has done since the 11th century. Inside lurk the…
Lake Garda
Paved in waves of marble and brick, Lazise's promenade is the best on this side of Lake Garda. Grab an ice cream, feed the swans and lap up those views.
Lake Garda
The privately owned Parco Baia delle Sirene rents sun loungers beneath the trees on Punta San Vigilio's beach. Entry is free at sunset.
Santuario della Madonna del Carmine
Lake Garda West Bank
The sanctuary of the Madonna del Carmine dates from 1452. Its simple Gothic-Romanesque exterior does little to prepare you for the technicolour frescoes…
Lake Garda
From the centre of Riva, the Bastione is the chalk-white castle clinging to sheer cliffs high above the west edge of town. The 3.5km hike to this…
Lake Garda
Housed in Riva's compact medieval castle, the civic museum features local archaeology, frescoes from Roman Riva, documents and paintings. In light of Riva…
Lake Garda
The five towers of the privately owned Rocca Scaligera rise to the south of the harbour – look out for the huge hole in the north wall of its main tower,…
Lake Garda West Bank
The Franciscans were Gargnano’s first inhabitants, and their modest 13th-century Romanesque church is the village's main monument. They were also some of…
Lake Garda
This palace was home to Malcesine's governor when it was ruled by the Republic of Venice, largely between 1405 and 1797. A single, large hall leads onto a…
Chiesa dei Santi Pietro e Paolo
Lake Garda
Looking out across Lake Garda, this large church is worth a look for its exquisitely painted ceilings, altars by Tomezzoli and Benedetti and an angel…
Sirmione
The Musei di Solferino displays small cannons, uniforms and gilt-framed paintings of Solferino's 1859 conflict.
