Regions in Brief

Sirmione

Garda's most popular resort juts several miles into the southern waters of the lake on a narrow peninsula of cypress and olive groves. Despite an onslaught of visitors, Sirmione manages to retain its charm. Vehicular traffic is kept to a minimum (the few motorists allowed onto the marble streets of the Old Town are required to switch off their cars' engines at traffic lights). The emphasis is on strolling, swimming in waters warmed in spots by underwater hot springs, and relaxing on sunny hotel terraces. One caveat: You may find Sirmione to be less than charming in July and August, when the crowds descend in full force.

Getting There -- By Train -- There are no direct trains, but you can ride the rails to nearby Desenzano del Garda (a 20-min. bus ride from Sirmione; buses half-hourly), which is on the trunk line from Milan to Venice. Trains run almost every half-hour in either direction, stopping in Venice (1 1/2-2 hr.), Verona (25-35 min.), Brescia (25 min.), and Milan (1 1/2 hr.).

By Bus -- Hourly bus service links Sirmione with Verona (1 hr.) and Brescia (1 hr.). For more information, contact SAIA buses in Brescia (tel. 800-620-001) or APT in Verona (tel. 045-800-4129). In summer, a special bus makes a 35-minute 7pm run from Verona Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday.

By Boat -- Hydrofoils and ferries operated by Navigazione Laghi (tel. 030-914-9511 or 045-755-0036; www.navigazionelaghi.it) ply the waters of the lake. One to two hourly ferries and four daily hydrofoils connect Sirmione with Desenzano del Garda (20 min. by ferry; 10 min. by hydrofoil). Two daily ferries and three daily hydrofoils connect Sirmione with Gardone (1 1/4-2 hr. by ferry, 55 min. by hydrofoil), Limone sul Garda (two daily; 3 hr. by ferry, 1 3/4 hr. by hydrofoil), and Riva del Garda (almost 4 hr. by ferry, 2 1/4 hr. by hydrofoil). Service is curtailed October to April.

By Car -- Sirmione is just off the A4 between Milan and Venice. From Bologna, Florence, Rome, and other points south, take the A22 north from Modena to Verona, and from there the A4 west to Sirmione. The trip from Venice takes about 1 1/2 hours, and the trip from Milan a little over an hour. There's ample parking in the lakeside lots lining Viale Marconi, the broad avenue that runs down the peninsula to the entrance of the Old Town.

Visitor Information -- The tourist office is outside the Old Town near the castle, at Viale Marconi 2 (tel. 030-916-245). Easter to October, hours are daily 9am to 12:30pm and 3 to 6pm (though the hotel reservations people actually keep it open all day long until 9pm); November to March, hours are Monday to Friday 9am to 12:30pm and 3 to 6pm, and Saturday 9am to 12:30pm. The helpful English-speaking staff dispenses a wealth of information about Sirmione and other sights on the lake and will reserve a room for you.

Exploring the Town -- 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 btw. 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 5€.

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 5:30pm; admission is 4€.

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 10€ per day, as well as kayaks and pedal boats (8€ per hour).

Gerdone Riviera

The little resort of Gardone Riviera, 47km (29 miles) south of Riva del Garda on the western shore of the lake, has two interesting attractions. Once Italy's most famous soldier/poet, Gabriele d'Annunzio is today remembered not for his lackluster verse, but more for his adventures and grand lifestyle at Il Vittoriale (tel. 0365-296-511; www.vittoriale.it), a hillside estate that is one of Lake Garda's major sites. He bought the estate (it's also alleged that Mussolini presented it to the poet as a way to coerce his sympathies) in 1921 and died here in 1936. The claustrophobic rooms of this ornately and bizarrely decorated villa are filled with bric-a-brac and artifacts from the poet's colorful life, including many mementos of his long affair with actress Eleanora Duse. Elsewhere on the grounds, which cascade down the hillside in a series of luxuriant gardens, are the patrol boat D'Annunzio commanded in World War I, a museum containing his biplane and photos, and his pompous hilltop tomb.

Admission is 7€ for adults and 5€ for children ages 7 to 12 and seniors older than 65 to the grounds only; you pay 5€ adults, 3€ kids and seniors additional to tour the villa, which you can visit only via a 25-minute guided tour (in Italian; even if you don't understand a word of the tour, it's worth taking it to look inside the villa). April to September the grounds are open daily 8:30am to 8pm, and the villa is open Tuesday to Sunday 9:30am to 7pm; October to March the grounds are open daily 9am to 5pm, the villa Tuesday to Sunday 9am to 1pm and 2 to 5pm. The villa also hosts a July-to-August season of concerts and plays; call tel. 0365-296-519 (www.teatrodelvittoriale.it) for more information.

Just down the hill on Via Roma is the Giardino Botanica Hruska (tel. 0336-410-877), a small but delightful bower planted a hundred years ago by the Swiss naturalist Arturo Hruska (a dentist whose clientele included European royalty). More than 2,000 species of exotic flora from around the world continue to thrive in the balmy microclimate around the lake here. Admission is 6€. March 15 to October 15, the garden is open daily from 9am to 7pm.

Getting There -- For ferry connections with Riva del Garda and Sirmione, see those sections elsewhere in this chapter (from Limone sul Garda, prices are the same as from Riva del Garda, but the trip is 30 min. quicker by hydrofoil and 45 min. faster by ferry). You can also bus here from Riva del Garda in 65 minutes. From Sirmione, you have to transfer at Desenzano del Garda for one of six daily runs (1 hr. total). Hourly buses also make the 1-hour trip to and from Brescia, and two buses a day make the 3-hour trip to and from Milan.

Visitor Information -- Gardone's tourist office is at Corso Repubblica 8 (tel./fax 0365-20-347). Hours in April to October: Tuesday to Saturday 9am to 12:30pm and 4 to 7pm, and Sunday 9am to 12:30pm. November to March: Monday to Wednesday and Friday 9am to 12:30pm and 3 to 6pm, and Thursday 9am to 12:30pm.

Riva del Garda

The northernmost town on the lake is not just a resort, but a real, prosperous Italian town, with medieval towers, a nice smattering of Renaissance churches and palazzi, and narrow cobblestone streets where everyday business proceeds in its alluring way.

Getting There
By Bus -- Six buses a day link Riva del Garda and Desenzano del Garda on the southern end of the lake, about a 2-hour trip. You can also travel between Sirmione and Riva del Garda by bus, though except for a 4:30pm direct run, you must transfer at Peschiera (2 hr.). From Limone sul Garda, there are 11 trips daily (18 min.). Twenty-five daily buses connect Riva del Garda and Trent (1 2/3 hr.). From Verona there are 16 a day (2 hr.), and from Brescia five daily (2 hr.).

By Boat -- Navigazione Lago di Garda runs the boats. Fifteen ferries and four hydrofoils per day connect Riva del Garda with Limone sul Garda (35-45 min. by ferry, 30 min. by hydrofoil). Two ferries and four hydrofoils per day connect Riva del Garda with Gardone (2 3/4 hr. by ferry; 1 hr., 20 min. by hydrofoil), Sirmione (almost 4 hr. by ferry, 2 1/4 hr. by hydrofoil), and Desenzano del Garda (4 1/4 hr. by ferry, 2 1/2 hr. by hydrofoil). Schedules vary with the season, with very limited service in the winter.

By Car -- The fastest link between Riva del Garda and points north and south is via the A22, which shoots up the east side of the lake (exit at Mori, 13km/8 miles east of Riva del Garda). A far more scenic drive is along the western shore, on the beautiful corniche between Riva del Garda and Salo that hugs cliffs and passes through mile after mile of tunnel. Depending on the route, by car Riva del Garda is about an hour from Verona and about 45 minutes from Sirmione.

Visitor Information -- The tourist office, which supplies information on hotels, restaurants, and activities in the area, is near the lakefront Giardini di Porta Orientale 8 (tel. 0464-554-444; fax 0464-520-308; www.trentino.to). June 16 to September 15, it's open Monday to Saturday 9am to noon and 3 to 6:30pm, and Sunday 10am to noon and 4 to 6:30pm; April to June 15 and September 16 to October, hours are Monday to Saturday 9am to noon and 3 to 6:15pm; November to March, hours are Monday to Friday 9am to noon and 2:30 to 5:15pm.

Festivals & Markets -- Riva del Garda becomes a cultural oasis in July, when the town hosts an international festival of classical music.

Exploring the Town -- 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 2.50€, 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.

Water & Land Sports -- A convenient point of embarkation for a lake outing is the beach next to the castle, where you can rent rowboats or pedal boats for about 8.50€ per hour (buy 2 hr., get a 3rd free); from March to October, the concession is open daily 8am to 8pm.

For a more adventurous outing, check out the sailing and windsurfing at the Sailing Du Lac (formerly the Nautic Club Riva), Via Rovereto 44 (tel. 0464-552-453; www.sailingdulac.com), where you can rent windsurf equipment for 42€ per day, 37€ for a half-day, or 18€ for an hour. Multiday and weekly packages, as well as lessons, are also available.

You can rent bikes from Superbike Girelli, Viale Damiano Chiesa 15 (tel. 0464-556-602), for 12€ per day for a mountain bike; or from Cicli Pederzolli, Viale dei Tigli 24 (tel. 0464-551-830), which charges 8€ per day for a city bike and 12€ for a mountain bike.

Limone sul Garda

Limone sul Garda is a pretty resort wedged between the lake and mountains just 10km (6 1/4 miles) south of Riva del Garda on the lakeside corniche. For ferry connections with Riva del Garda and Sirmione, see those earlier sections. Despite the onslaught of tourists who come down through the mountains from Austria and Germany, it's a pleasant place to spend some time and offers more moderately priced lakeside hotels than those found in Riva del Garda. Romans planted lemon groves here (hence the name); the ruins of the protective structures that once covered the groves are still visible on the hills around the town, and lemons continue to thrive on every available parcel of land.

There's a small IAT tourist info office at Via Comboni 15 (tel. 0365-954 070; fax 0365-954-689). From March to October, it's open daily 9am to 12:30pm and Monday to Saturday 3:30 to 7pm; November to February, hours are Monday to Saturday 9am to 12:30pm and 4:30 to 6pm. Also try the private website www.limone.com. Note: You'll find that most of the resorts in Limone, such as the two listed below, require a 3-night minimum stay, especially in high season.

Two-Wheeling Limone -- Rent a mountain bike in Limone sul Garda at Tombola Rent, Via L. Einaudi 1B (tel. 0365-954-051). Rates are 11€ for 5 hours, 17€ for a full day (6am-10pm). They also rent scooters (for two people) starting at 27€ for 3 hours, 37€ for 5 hours, and 50€ for a full day.