Attractions

Sirmione

In addition to its attractive, albeit tourist-shop-ridden Old Town, Sirmione has many lakeside promenades, pleasant beaches, and even some open countryside where olive trees sway in the breeze. Anything you'll want to see can be reached easily on foot, though an open-air tram makes the short run out to the Roman ruins from the northern edge of the Old Town (but not between 12:30 and 2:30pm).

The moated and turreted Castello Scaligero (tel. 030-916-468) marks the only land-side entrance to the Old Town. Built in the 13th century by the della Scala family, who ruled Verona and many of the lands surrounding the lake, the castle warrants a visit mainly for the views from its towers. It's open Tuesday to Sunday: April to October 9am to 8pm and November to March 9am to 1pm. Admission is 4€ ($5.20).

From the castle, Via Vittorio Emanuele leads through the center of the town and emerges after a few blocks into the greener, garden-lined lanes that wind through the tip of the peninsula to the Grotte di Catullo (tel. 030-916-157). Whether or not these extensive ruins at the northern tip of the peninsula were really, as they're alleged to have been, the villa and baths of the pleasure-loving Roman poet Catullus is open to debate. Even so, their presence here, on a hilltop fragrant with wild rosemary and pines, demonstrates that Sirmione has been a deservedly popular retreat for millennia, and you can wander through the evocative remains while enjoying wonderful lake views. March to October 14, the ruins are open Tuesday to Saturday 8:30am to 7pm and Sunday 9am to 6pm; October 15 through February, hours are Tuesday to Saturday 8:30am to 4:30pm and Sunday 9am to 4:30pm (museum remains open until 7pm daily); admission is 4€ ($5.20).

If you want to enjoy the clean waters of the lake, the place to head is the small Lido delle Bionde beach, near the castle off Via Dante. In summer the beach concession rents lounge chairs with umbrellas for 7€ ($9.10) per day, as well as kayaks and pedal boats (8€/$10 per hour).

Riva del Garda

Riva del Garda's Old Town is pleasant enough, though the only historic attractions of note are the 13th-century Torre d'Apponale (a picturesque medieval tower on the main square, which is sometimes open for climbing and sometimes not) and, nearby, the moated lakeside castle, La Rocca. Part of the castle interior now houses an unassuming collection of local arts and crafts (tel. 0464-573-869). It's open Tuesday to Saturday 9:30am to 5:30pm and Sunday 9:30am to noon and 2 to 5:30pm; admission is 2€ ($2.60), though the prices have been erratic in recent years. The castle also occasionally hosts minor traveling exhibits.

The tourist office runs a few free, guided tours (in many languages, including English). On weekends they do walking tours of the town; on Tuesdays and Fridays they offer walking tours of a few sights in the area. You must book in advance, by 5pm the previous day, at tel. 0464-554-444. The sights aren't of staggering interest or importance (and that's being kind), but they're a good activity if you happen to be in town and your lazy vacationing by the lakeside is getting boring or you want something cultural to do between windsurfing lessons.

The main attraction here is the lake itself, which Riva del Garda takes advantage of with a waterside promenade stretching for several miles past parks and pebbly beaches. The water is warm enough for swimming May to October, and air currents fanned by the mountains make Garda popular for windsurfing year-round.