FROM SEPTEMBER TO SEPTEMBER Garda is a great Mediterranean lake, blessed by Italian sun. In the heart of Europe, both physically and culturally, it is a freshwater sea surrounded THE BEST TESTIMONIAL OF ITALY by villages and mountains. The Italian Lake “par excel- lence”, it is the summation of a thousand wonderful holiday opportunities that Read this brochure and follow are impossible to tell of in the emotions, feelings, few paragraphs. For this amazement and curiosity we reason, we have given you hope to transmit. And follow just a few short suggestions, your memories, if you have convinced that images tell already been here. far more than words. Or follow the season, because Because Goethe, D’Annunzio here the holiday season is and many others who lived never over, and every page here have written wonderful carries a date. verses to tell of these places, which make an excellent Enjoy the views, foreword to this sequence. and have a good time! HOLIDAYS ON THE LAKE Creation and graphics: Photographic credits: Carlo Baroni Chris Simpson 1996 For Terme di Sirmione Fototeca Trentino S.p.A. Gianni Zotta, Ronny Kiaulehn, Ugo Visciani, Alessandro Gardin Archivio provincia di Brescia Assessorato al Turismo Archivio Verona TuttIntorno Marco Bagnasco, Claudio Concina Archivio APT Garda Trentino Marino Colato Acherdo-Bams Photo Rodella Foto Ben Studio FotoShopProfessional Ronny Kiaulehn WISHING YOU A GREAT HOLIDAY 0 4 1 0 Here the promise of sunshine lasts all year round. It is the third most constant inhabitant of this area, after the people and the water. Gentle in April and romantic in October, in May it becomes elegant, joyful in June, exuberant in July and August, when the sun penetrates your bones, recharging the spirit and tickling the melanin. It helps the grapes ripen and accompanies us through the olive season. HERE WE MEASURE HEAT IN LITRE S 1 0 0 7 1 5 0 8 Did you ask how the wind was today? We talked a lot about this before we went out, but every time it is different, holding surprises in store. It may be magical, impertinent, mischievous, impetuous, or even gusty, and very often fresh. But it is always a grand wind. I’m tired, my arms have gone to sleep and I need to get some rest, because there will be another challenge for me tomorrow. And you ask me how the wind was today? WHAT IS YOUR IDEA OF WIND? 0 8 0 6 2 0 0 7 How come I always have to spend the last hour of the day asking, begging, threatening you to put your toys away, get ready to go home, stop asking for just one last swim for the thousandth time?.…On the other hand, it’s a great excuse for staying on the beach and soaking up the wonderful late afternoon rays. THE UPSIDE-DOWN SUN 1 8 0 6 Time passes, but the beach ritual, with its pranks, games and courting, never changes. And so a belly laugh, a happy friendship, are indissolubly linked to the memories of a place. 1 3 0 7 PERPETUAL MOTION 2 0 0 5 This is perhaps the most beautiful definition of travelling over Lake Garda in a steamship, a motorboat, a hydrofoil, a catamaran or a sailing boat. ON A CRUISE THROUGH THE ALPS 0 8 0 3 Constance and fatigue, acrobatics and dynamism, reflection and precision. Sweat and earth, water and air, waiting and timeliness. Speed and balance, madness and innovation, calm and cold blood. Anything is possible. WHERE OPPOSITES MEET 2 5 0 4 N O C O M M E N T 2 9 0 9 Or look west, towards the BRESCIA VERONA TRENTO modern and industrial city of Brescia, with some of the rare examples of structuralist architecture, the perfect starting point for the “Thousand Miles” vintage car race. Brescia spread THE BEST POSSIBLE NEIGHBOURS over green hills, once battlefields during Renaissance times. Tranquil Brescia, Lioness of Italy. Look at Verona. Imagine the Roman legionnaires marching along the Claudia Augusta Way, or the rich merchants in the Venetian palaces, the Austrian guns shooting during the First World War. See the balcony, think of Romeo and Juliet, and imagine their great love story. And then head north, to Trento. Home to the Buonconsiglio Castle, the Cathedral and the Aquila Tower. Site of the most important ecumenical council of the Catholic Church, which ended in 1563. Trento, with its River Adige, the ideal mirror for 0 5 1 1 the Dolomites. From the discovery of animals to the botanical gardens, from the world of cinema to the world of water, from the kingdom of children to the realm of entertainment for all. How many holidays will you need to visit all the theme parks at Lake Garda? PARKS, BY NATURE OR INVENTION 2 3 0 7 ITALIAN STYLE, INTERNATIONAL FEEL 0 8 0 9 Three examples of 2000 years of history. In Sirmione, the remains of the Roman Villa known as the “Grotte di Catullo” (after the Latin poet who died in 54 B.C.). This is the grandest example of a private noble residence in the whole of northern Italy. In Gargnano the great “ Bettoni Palace”, designed at the end of the eighteenth century; one of the most beautiful villas around the Lake, crowned by a marvellous balustrade and numerous statues. Famous for its Citrus Garden. The “Vittoriale degli Italiani” is the monumental citadel at Gardone Riviera created THE HISTORY OF ITALY, A WORLD HERITAGE by the Italian poet Gabriele d’Annunzio, who lived there in the 1930s. An extraordinary, unmatchable group of buildings, streets, squares, theatres, 2 0 0 3 gardens, parks and waterways. MAKE A DATE WITH YOURSELVES 0 1 0 5 Tiny barbecued lake fish, or other better-known fish, cooked in a thousand different ways; Garda olive oil goes well with everything; white, red and rosé wines, with a meal or for meditation; vegetables, Alpine cheeses, fresh and matured cured meats, chestnuts, honey, black and white truffles, mushrooms and asparagus, but also polenta, tortellini, home- made pasta. All accompanied by the unforgettable aroma of lemons and citron. ON THE BANKS OF FLAVOUR 1 9 0 8 Lake Garda in the Trentino region 1 2 3 can be lived following a range of itineraries: historical, cultural, food and wine. This “corner” of Mediterranean at the slopes of the Alps offers some views of incomparable beauty and nature that deserves your full attention. It is the lake which, warming up in the summer sun and giving off its heat in the winter, softens the temperature range, contributing to the creation of an exceptional microclimate, celebrated literary figures, travellers and guests. Riva del Garda, Arco, Nago – Torbole, Dro, Drena and Tenno are the places peppering the territory of 4 5 Trentino-side Garda. In addition to the beach, which links the bays and coves of Riva, the Arco and Torbole lidos, wind, water, rocks, planes and slopes offer a unique, extraordinary environment for sailing, windsurfing, kite surfing, biking and mountain biking, climbing and free climbing, trekking and excursions. 1 > RIVA DEL GARDA 2 > “ROCCA” OF RIVA DEL GARDA 3 > ARCO 4 > LITTLE HARBOUR 5 > TORBOLE “The Olive Riviera”, the eastern 1 2 3 shores of the lake: fifty kilometres of wondrous landscape, a succession of coves and banks, villages and castles set against Mediterranean vegetation, with olives and other plants that thrive in the mild climate of the area. And on the northern tip, Mount Baldo dominates the lake. From the centre of Malcesine, with its Scaligero Castle overlooking the lake, the typical narrow streets of the town centre and the Venetian- style Captains’ Palace; going southwards we meet the small villages of Cassone and Brenzone, and the hamlets of Assenza, Porto, 4 5 Marniga and Castelletto. And further south again, Pai and then Torri del Benaco with its Scaligero Castle and the enchanting port. The lake widens at Punta San Vigilio and, at Mermaids’ Villa and Mermaids’ Bay, there is a truly magical view. And then on to Garda, dominated by its famous fort. 1 > CASTLE OF MALCESINE 2 > FRAGLIA DELLA VELA 3 > PAI OF TORRI DEL BENACO 4 > CABLEWAY MALCESINE-MONTE BALDO 5 > HARBOUR OF TORRI DEL BENACO Following the lake road, still 1 2 3 further south, we meet Bardolino – famous for the wine of the same name – and Lazise, with another Scaligero Castle, the Dogana Veneta and San Nicolò Church. And for the young and young at heart, the theme parks of Canevaworld and Gardaland. Peschiera, at the far end of the Olive Riviera, is a town with imposing fortified bastions and impressive historical palace. The hinterland also offers some wonderful sites, including Valeggio sul Mincio, and its Scaligero Castle dating back to the tenth century. Not far from the centre, the Sigurtà Park and Gardens covers an area of 4 5 more than 50 hectares at the foot of the morainic hills, and the Cavour Water Fun Park, which offers a chance for some fun and relaxation. 1 > THE LAKE 2 > GARDA 3 > GARDA AT CHRISTMAS 4 > FISHING ON THE LAKE 5 > VIEW FROM MONTE BALDO 6 > LAZISE 7 > BARDOLINO 8 > VALEGGIO 6 7 1 A landscape rich in charm and opportunity. From Sirmione to Limone, along the western Riviera of Lake Garda. The blue of the lake water, the green of the soft hills and the imposing mountains: these are the outstanding characteristics of this land, rich in castles, forts, churches, hamlets and villages that tell the tale of centuries of history and folklore. The food and wine, the facilities assuring well-being and relaxation, satisfy your free-time and sports needs in an enchanting territory with unique colours, suggestive landscapes and uncontaminated 8 nature.