Garda Lake – South

Lake Garda, the largest lake in Italy, ringed by an amphitheater of moraine hills to the south and reaching toward the high mountains to the north, enchants visitors with its mild climate and lush vegetation.

The Lower Lake Garda area in particular offers lovely scenery: gentle hills covered with rows of vines and olive groves, which yield two of the typical products of this part of Northern Italy, wine and olive oil. Several kinds of citrus thrive in the area, especially on the Brescia shore, probably brought by the Maritime Republic of Genoa after being imported from the East: lemon, citron, orange, mandarin and bergamot.

Country lanes wind through the vineyards and the flowering meadows that suddenly appear around a bend in the road. Poised between plain and hills, the land surrounds the lower lake, with the Verona shore on the right and the Brescia shore on the left.

The area has been inhabited since prehistoric times, as finds near Desenzano and Lonato show.

The Romans loved the lake so much that it became their favorite vacation spot, and they built grand villas such as those in Sirmione, Toscolano and Desenzano.

Conquered by the Republic of Venice, ruled by the Scaligeri, who left castles and fortifications all over the area, and by the Austrians, the whole area saw its great uprising in the battle fought at Solferino and San Martino della Battaglia on June 24, 1859, which made the people’s wish for independence clear.

A pleasant tour of the southern part of the lake is the best way to get to know the towns of the Garda Riviera: Desenzano with its lakefront, small beaches and old harbor; Lazise and its lovely villas; Sirmione and the Scaliger Castle; Peschiera; Manerba and its Rocca on a cliff above the lake; Moniga with its castle and its remarkably well-preserved walls; and Padenghe sul Garda, with its crenellated walls, small harbor and old village, gathered within the walls of the medieval castle in a fairy-tale atmosphere.

Further north are Salò, with its 15th-century cathedral dedicated to Santa Maria Annunziata, and Gardone Riviera, with the Vittoriale degli Italiani, the home of Gabriele D’Annunzio. The hilly hinterland is also stunning and scenic, rich in important history, art and architecture: Solferino and San Martino della Battaglia, with the Tower that is an emblem of the Risorgimento; Valeggio sul Mincio, graced by its fine castle; Lonato; Borghetto and the magnificent Visconti Bridge; and Castellaro Lagusello, a tiny medieval village in the province of Mantua and one of the most beautiful villages in Italy.

The area’s specialties will satisfy the hungriest palates: lake fish such as trout, whitefish and eel, cooked in the best-known recipes, like sarde in saor, bigoli with aole and polenta with pike. Worth trying are San Vigilini, raisin cookies, and Garda PDO extra virgin olive oil, light and fruity, which you can taste on guided tastings at local farms and olive mills.

Other typical dishes are tagliatelle with trout and asparagus, risotto with tench, trout carpaccio, cassata gardesana made with extra virgin olive oil, stewed salt cod, and small pike and sardines Garda style, and among the desserts, “brodo di giuggiole” (a jujube liqueur), “chisol” (a sweet ring cake) and “pa dei morcc” (bread of the dead). In October, Lazise hosts the national fair “I giorni del miele”.

Winegrowing here has a long history going back to the Bronze Age; the Romans certainly made wine on the land around their country villas, whose ruins can still be visited today, as in Desenzano.

From Peschiera to Desenzano lies the Lugana area, a small DOC but one of the first in Italy, known for a full-bodied, fruity white wine made from Trebbiano di Lugana and Turbiana grapes, while around Bardolino they make another typical Lake Garda wine, Bardolino DOC, a dry red with a slightly bitter finish.

In October the Bardolino Grape and Wine Festival is held, with stands for tasting Bardolino and other local products. The moraine hills around the lake also produce Bianco di Custoza, made from Trebbiano and Garganega grapes.

There is no shortage of entertainment in the area: Parco Sigurtà in Valeggio sul Mincio, a vast flower garden with a teaching farm for children; the Nicolis Museum in Villafranca di Verona, devoted to vintage motorcycles and cars, musical instruments, old cameras and everything from bicycles to engines; the famous Gardaland amusement park; Parco Natura Viva in Bussolengo, a wildlife park with a tropical greenhouse and a safari zoo; Movieland, the amusement park devoted to films and the history of cinema; and Caneva Aquapark, a big water park with water slides and pools.

Lake Garda is the very definition of fun and pleasant vacations: in the warm months there are countless food festivals and events of every kind, a chance to get to know the area’s products and its cultural, religious and historical traditions.

The castles overlooking the lakeshore host concerts, music festivals, theater shows and historical reenactments in costume. In summer every evening is a chance to celebrate, with food and wine festivals that often end with spectacular fireworks over the middle of the lake.