A profile shaped not only by patches of olive trees and vineyards rolling down to the lake, but also by cypress trees straight as spindles, palms, oleanders, and the thousand other plants and blooms that the lakeside spring offers.
What also distinguishes these shores is a fine food and wine heritage, the result of the union between land and water, which brings fish, a light and fruity extra virgin olive oil; flavorful vegetables like the Rivoli asparagus, white and fleshy, and renowned wines such as Bardolino, Chiaretto, Lugana….
Peschiera del Garda is the first town encountered on the itinerary from south to north. Enclosed by walls and nestled among the canals of the Mincio, which exit the lake here, it maintains its eternal reputation as guardian of the southern Garda shore, despite its lively and cosmopolitan spirit, with many venues for late nights and amusement parks (Gardaland is just minutes away by car), that delight families and young people. Strolling at leisure through its alleys and squares of unmistakable Venetian design is a pleasure, browsing shop windows and the quietest corners, to finally emerge onto the elegant and intricate lakeside promenade.
Heading up the Veronese shore along the Garda coastal road, you admire views of extraordinary beauty and quickly encounter, like pearls on a necklace, villages and towns full of character. Lazise, with the battlemented walls of the Scaliger castle, the Venetian Customs House, and the Villa dei Cedri Thermal Park.
Cisano, which dedicates an extensive museum to extra virgin olive oil, complete with a shop.
Bardolino, capital of the eponymous red nectar and of an amazing Wine Road that winds toward Cavaion Veronese, passing through Affi and the fortress of Garda.
Back on the Gardesana and past the town of Garda, home to the Fra Pescatori Garda Cooperative, a precious spot to buy lavarelli, tenches, pikes, whitefish, and other very fresh fish, the lake opens up the wonder of Punta San Vigilio, the last protrusion of Monte Baldo, covered with olive trees and centuries-old cypresses, flanked by two enchanting bays, the Bay of the Sirens and the small harbor gulf.
Taking a break here means admiring the lake at the point where it is widest and most open, practically outlining its shape.
Continuing along the Gardesana, you encounter the last pearls of the Veronese shore: Torri del Benaco, gathered around its towered castle, beneath which an ancient lemon grove naps, a rarity now on the lake; the charming Calderini square and the shell-shaped little harbor.
And Malcesine, nestled between lake and Monte Baldo, animated by a maze of alleys, squares, secret gardens, with small secluded beaches and rare wind-swept clearings, delighting sailors and surfers.
From the town, you can take the cable car up to Monte Baldo, amid a crescendo of panoramas and lights (the same ones Gustav Klimt brought to his canvases), flooding also the opposite shore and the mountains that form its crown.
