It all started in 1889, when Procopio, a Venetian deep sea diver, equipped with a diving suit and special pumps supplied from England, dived to a depth of 20 metres into lake Garda. In the area around Catullus' villa, in Sirmione he was the first person to reach a hot water spring which had been known to exist for three centuries.

The Sirmione castle is the most significant example of the defensive structures on Lake Garda. Between the 13th and 14th centuries, the village of Sirmione was a border town situated between the land owned by the Della Scala dynasty of Verona and the property of the lords of Milan. The original nucleus was delimited by a tall square wall with three towers, and was probably built on top of the remains of a Roman fortress.

That extra reason for staying on Lake Garda, in among the olive, beech and chestnut trees - When Mother Nature resolved to create Lake Garda, she certainly did not skimp on her energy, and drew from her palette all the colours of the rainbow. And she spread them plentifully over the hills and mountains. She distributed them in the bright shades of blue of the water, in the thousand hues of the luxuriant vegetation.

The Vittoriale degli Italiani is the last home of Gabriele D'Annunzio. After his last clamorous post-war exploit (the Fiume Affair, which occurred in January 1921), the Italian poet decided to retire from public life. Born in Pescara, a town on the sea, D'Annunzio was attracted by the glow of Lake Garda, and specifically in Gardone Riviera.

If you drive along the northernmost section of the Gardesana Occidentale road running along the west side of the lake Garda, you cannot fail to notice tall pillars, some over ten meters high, stretching towards the sky. These old structures, which have since become an integral part of the landscape, confirm the local population's enterprise and aptitude for growing and selling citrus fruits - especially lemons.

"I could have already been in Verona this evening, but I was close to a magnificent product of nature, a splendid spectacle, Lake Garda. I did not want to miss it, and I was repaid for my detour." These are the words of Goethe, written in his travelogue on September 12, 1786. Torbole was the first town he came across: "When you arrive below, on the northernmost tip of the lake you'll find a town named Torbole with a small harbor, or better yet, a dock".

The fourth province that overlooks the Lake Garda is MantuaMantuan hills. Over the centuries, many lakeside towns did business with the inland area of Mantua, and signs of this exchange are especially visible in the local cuisine. One can easily and quickly reach Mantua from the lower lake area: it takes just a little over one-half hour to travel to the capital of the plains. According to legend, Mantus the seer fled from Thebes, arrived in the grasslands of the Mincio River and founded the city of Mantua.

An itinerary amidst the greenery of Gardone Riviera - Gardone Riviera is quite proud of its public and private parks and gardens. Its well-tended grounds give this lake resort a serene and charming air that has attracted numerous loyal tourists since the early 20th century, when many wealthy aristocrats arrived from beyond the Alps. Since then, the vegetation has harmoniously blended with the myriad styles of private homes whose architecture reflected classic Mediterranean design or the great Italian renaissance tradition. This itinerary lets you discover these lovely verdant areas.

Steeped in history - Winter tourists, what should you do? Listen to the voice of history recounting Lake Garda through monuments, books, relics, paintings and finds from all ages? This voice brings up to the surface after thousands of years, spotlighting them, past episodes that have become a shared asset to be passed down through the generations with care and respect. When material culture becomes a collective memory, that is when references to local identity gain importance, to the advantage of both residents and visitors. Since memory tends to be unreliable and vague, why not retrace the stages of history in which the lake garda is steeped?

Ponti sul Mincio lies just to the south of Lake Garda, three kilometres from Peschiera del Garda, in the part the Moreinic amphitheatre in the province of Mantua. This little medieval town boasts a wellpreserved castle built by the Scaligers of Verona some time between the 12th and the 14th century. Together with the castles at Monzambano, Valeggio, Nogarole, Peschiera and Sirmione, the one in Ponti sul Mincio formed part of a defensive system running southwest to protect the Scaliger family against raids from the Viscontis and Gonzagas.

"The Benaco (the original name of Lake Garda, Ed.) nurtures in its vast cradle numerous species of fish of different sizes and shapes; some lovers of the cold abyss, others of the tepid waters near the surface; the latter sociable, living in compact ranks, the former seeking solitude and shunning company.

They dart, leap, skim through the water, agile, elegant, and in the peaceful harbours, over fine sand and bright stones; among the algae and cane-brakes they weave love and alliances, they fight ferocious battles..."

To know lake Garda means to enter deeply into its hinterland, to contemplate the lake from the mountains, to visit towns and to enter into woods immersed in an alpine landscape. Because of this, the Visitors' Centre of the Brescian Upper Garda Park is to be found in Tignale, a town which unites the Mediterranean landscape of the lake with that of the mountains of the hinterland on its territory, and which offers a rare wide point of view over the waters and at the same time it offers itself as a departure point for excursions into the green of the Western Gardesana Forest, the largest state owned forest in Lombardy.

Legendary Charms - There are places that have inspired popular legends and myths passed down from one generation to another and shrouded with an aura of mystery that makes them even more fascinating. Beautiful Lake Garda with its vibrant Mediterranean charm has witnessed the birth of numerous legends about mythological characters, saints, historical figures, and ordinary folk. Woven together like the many threads of a story plot, these legends take us to some of the most intriguing corners of Lake Garda and let us rediscover the area in a magical new way. The easiest place to reach by land or the lake is the rustic San Sivino hermitage perched on the coastal ridge between Moniga and Manerba del Garda. Today it is surrounded by homes, campsites, tourist resorts, and a few surviving vineyards, but it offers a magnificent view of the southern end of the lake, the Sirmione peninsula, and the Veronese section of the coast.

Besides better roads, the main evidence of how Valvestino has changed in recent years is the development of two areas that have found an intelligent way of drawing tourists, namely Cima Rest, a plateau at an altitude of 1,200 metres, and San Rocco di Moerna at 1000 metres.
Their common features are a magnificent position, splendid views and the fact that they form ideal starting points for a variety of different excursions.

Life high up on the Tremosine plateau. To get to Tremosine, you can take the main road up from Limone sul Garda, which leads to the northernmost part of this town on the uplands of lake Garda. This variegated region extends from the lake right up to Tremalzo at nearly two thousand metres above sea level, just past the Brescian provincial border.

Ala, city of velvet ...an unforgettable experience. Ala is the main economic and cultural centre of lower Vallagarina, the valley of the river Adige which flows south through Veronese territory, past the Verona lock and onto the Venetian plain at the foot of the pre-Alps. The coppice-covered hillsides and the deep side valleys penetrate right into the Lessini mountains to the east (valleys of San Valentino and Ronchi) and the Mount Baldo chain (valleys of Aviana and Sorna).

The Valvestino area is full of huge centuries-old beech trees (Fagus sylvatica). Beeches can already be found at an altitude of 700 meters, but to see the largest and most majestic exemplars you have to go to higher altitudes, in places such as Malga Corva and Malga Alvezza, or along the hills that travel from Rest and Denai toward Mount Tombea.
The beech tree is a mesophilic plant that is typically found in the mountains but does not tolerate extreme cold or heat. There is another plant that lives, hidden and inaccessible, amidst the rocks and boulders: the saxifrage (whose name means "able to break stone"). This tiny rupestral plant is a genuine attraction for botany fans. There are several species of this plant, which is symbol of the Valvestino valley: arachnoidea, caesia, mutata, paniculata, petraea and tombeanensis.

The Rocca di Manerba: a plunge into nature and history. The magnificent view on a bright sunny day would alone justify the walk to the top of Rocca di Manerba. No matter that the area around the great iron cross has lost some of the wildness and rustic fascination that have marked it for decades, nay for centuries. This towering rocky landmark on the Garda landscape is in stark contrast with the gently rolling morainic hills and the coastline, and is steeped in fascination. Historic novels of the late romantic era refer to a legendary adventurer who, cruel yet generous, ruled the Valtenesi villages in feudal times from the top of the Rocca. There actually was a Rocca once, a castle or fortification, that was razed to the ground during domination by the Republic of Venice as over the years it had become an impregnable refuge for bands of brigands and bandits.

There is in Torri del Benaco a castle bearing witness to Garda civilisations of the past. Castles, strongholds, churches and forts are ever-present landmarks around Lake Garda, all buildings which, due to their imposing nature and location, have become the emblems of the local communities. Of the Scaliger Castle in Torri del Benaco, or at least what is left of the ancient construction on the eastern shore of Lake Garda, clinging to solid spurs of rock and built to defend the little harbour and once-fortified town, there remain just three towers and the perimeter walls linking them: one is made of stone and was built by the Romans right by the water, the other two were built by Antonio della Scala are and stand slightly inland.

Romanesque Garda - The Medieval churches of Lake Garda, which are often masterpieces of rural Romanesque style influenced by the architecture from the Como, Veneto and Po Valley areas, are the signs that remain of the ecclesiastic organization of the rural areas, which took place between the Longobard Era and the 13th century. These churches, which were responsible for the spiritual life of their parishioners from cradle to grave, were a point of reference for the local communities, and not only from a religious perspective.

Walking, boating and cycling through the peaceful Mincio Natural Park. What is most striking about Mantua is the delightful sight of the three adjoining lakes formed where the River Mincio widens. The river flows through an area of great naturalistic, historic, devotional and cultural interest. Several cycle tracks link up the town centre with the countryside. One of these tracks, called Cammin di Ronda (the ancient patrol route), spreads out along the lake promenade; a second one goes from the lakes to Peschiera del Garda along the River Mincio. A third route takes you straight to the wood called Bosco Fontana and the park called Parco delle Bertone, and towards Valeggio.

Some archaeological finds discovered on the cliff in different ages attest the presence o fan older population than the one living in the Middle Ages. The name itself of Arco derives from "arx" that means fortress. However it is certain that the Castle already existed arounf the year 1000. It was built by the free noblemen for most of all defensive purposes. In 1196 the nobleman Federico d'Arco declared in public the Castle to be an allodial good belonging to the people living in Pieve di Arco. Then the noble family became the only owner of it. The Castle of Arco was stormed again by the lords of Seiano Lodron and by the Serenissima troops. The village was occupied but the Castle always resisted. The end of the 15th century arrived; in 1495 Albrecht Duerer painted the Castle of Arco; looking at this painting you note that the Castle was really a small fortfied village. In July 1579 the archduke of Tirol Ferdinand II ordered his offecers to occupy the Castle of Arco and Penede in Nago.
In 1614 after drawing-up of the so-called "Capitolate" the counts came back to Arco. The beginning of the 18th century marks the complete decline of the Castle. During the Spanish war of Succession the French army commanded by the general Vendome penetrated the Lower Sarca besieged Arco conquered the town and bombed the Castle, the garrison of which surrendered; it was the 17th of August 1703. In short the Castel went to ruin.

The mountain huts of Monte Baldo: outposts of alpine culture. Extremely interesting is the alpine architecture on the mountain of shepherds, as Mount Baldo was once dubbed. Reaching the malghe - mountain huts - along the roads, car tracks and paths that wind their way up through the woods under shady vegetation that opens up to reveal immense unspoiled pastures, involves an agreeable and fulfilling climb. And together with the delightful landscape, they relate the subtle story of lives lived up here between the land and sky, between the bright blue lake Garda and the verdant woods, following and tending the herds and flocks during their trek up to the summer pastures. The distinctive huts on Mt. Baldo, which can be found between an altitude of 900 and 1,500 metres above sea level, are the result of annexation of the mountains by the local population in the Middle Ages.

Seven towns surrounded by numerous other villages and hamlets. This is Valvestino, a mountainous area stretching from Lake Garda to Lake Idro. The few inhabitants - less than 500 in an area covering 5,000 hectares - are shared between two administrative areas, Magasa, which encompasses the town of the same name and its outlying ward Cadria, and Valvestino, with its administrative centre in Turano and four villages, Bollone, Armo, Moerna and Person.

From olive groves to chestnut trees, on the lake-facing slopes of Mount Baldo with trips and excursions to the highest peaks. From the Mediterranean landscape of the Garda Riviera, dominated by olive trees and marked by dark green cypresses, clumps of holm oak and intense green laurel right up to the grassy uplands of Prada Alta. At an altitude of 1,000 metres this is the starting point of the Costabella ski-lifts and a network of paths leading up to the 2,200 metres of Telegrafo peak.

Valle di Ledro (Ledro  Valley) - The Pile-Dwelling Museum - An archaeological site on the shores of lake Ledro first became the object of serious study in 1929 but later suffered decades of abandon and depredation. In fact, looting by thieves and unauthorized excavations caused considerable damage. The Heritage Office of Padua, which was responsible for the Ledro area, eventually set up a security force on location, and the Tridentino Museum of Natural Sciences of Trento also contributed to improve the situation and promote the site. Three major excavation campaigns carried out by the Tridentino Museum in 1961, 1965, and 1967 unearthed a substantial amount of material.