Lake Garda is the largest lake in Italy and one of the most beautiful in Europe. Straddling three regions — Lombardy, Veneto, and Trentino — it offers something for almost every taste: medieval castles, Roman ruins, lemon groves, windsurfing beaches, and elegant Belle Époque resort towns.
The southern end around Sirmione is the gentlest and most visited, with the Scaligero Castle jutting into the water and the ruins of a Roman villa at the Grotte di Catullo at the tip of the peninsula. The eastern shore passes through Garda, Lazise, Peschiera, and Bardolino wine country — while the western Brescia shore has the most dramatic scenery, with cliffs dropping to the water. Salò, briefly the seat of Mussolini's puppet republic in 1943, and Gardone Riviera are its main towns; Gargnano and Limone sul Garda are the prettiest villages further north. The privately owned Isola del Garda sits offshore with its neo-Gothic villa and terraced gardens.
At the northern end, Riva del Garda and Malcesine see the strong thermal winds that make windsurfing and kitesurfing a European-level draw. The lake ferry network connects the main towns by water — the best way to travel and to see the lake. The Vittoriale degli Italiani at Gardone Riviera is the most startling single attraction on the shore: the estate-monument of the poet d'Annunzio, equal parts megalomaniac art project and serious museum. The olive groves of the western shore produce one of Italy's finest oils. Verona is only 30 km from the southern shore and makes an easy day trip, especially if you're timing a visit around the opera season in the Roman amphitheatre.
