Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
( 0365 29 65 11;
www.vittoriale.it
; Piazza Vittoriale; gardens & museums adult/reduced €16/12;
grounds 8.30am-8pm Apr-Sep, to 5pm Oct-Mar, museums to 7pm Tue-Sun Apr-Sep, 9am-1pm & 2-5pm
Tue-Sun Oct-Mar)
Poet, soldier, hypochondriac and proto-Fascist, Gabriele d'Annunzio
(1863-1938) defies easy definition, and so does his estate. Bombastic, extravagant and
unsettling, it's home to every architectural and decorative excess imaginable and the decor
helps shed light on the eccentric man. In the 1920s d'Annunzio became a strong supporter
of Fascism and Mussolini, while his affairs with wealthy women were legendary.
In his main house, the
Prioria
, black velvet drapes and stained-glass windows cast an
eerie light on gloomy rooms (he had an eye condition that made exposure to sunlight pain-
ful) crammed with classical figurines, leather-bound books, leopard skins, gilded orna-
ments, lacquer boxes and chinoiserie. Highlights include the bronze tortoise that sits on
the guests' dining table (in admonition of overeaters, it was cast from a pet that died of
overeating); the bright blue bathroom suite with over 2000 pieces of bric-a-brac; his spare
bedroom where he would retire to lie in on a coffin-shaped bed and contemplate death;
and his study with its low lintel - designed so visitors would have to bow as they entered.
Guided visits, in Italian only, tour the house every 10 minutes and last half an hour.
Giardino Botanico
Fondazione André Heller
( 336 41 08 77;
www.hellergarden.com
;
Via Roma 2; adult/child €10/5; 9am-7pm Mar-Oct)
Gardone's heyday was due in large part to its consistently mild climate, and this mildness
benefits the thousands of exotic blooms that fill artist André Heller's sculpture garden.
Laid out in 1912 by Arturo Hruska, a dentist who did rather well tending to European roy-
alty, the garden is zoned into pocket-sized climate zones and dotted with 30 pieces of con-
temporary sculpture, including pieces by Keith Haring and Roy Lichtenstein.
GARDEN
Sleeping & Eating
Locanda Agli Angeli
( 0365 2 09 91;
www.agliangeli.com
;
Via Dosso 7; s €45-70, d €80-180; )
A delightful
renovation has produced an 18th-century
locanda
(inn) of old polished wood, gauzy cur-
tain fabrics and bursts of lime, orange and aquamarine. The terrace has a compact pool
and views across rooftops and the lake beyond. The restaurant is also good, serving clas-
sic Lake Garda cooking (meals €25-35).
HOTEL
€€
