Lake Garda & Around - The Italian Lakes - page 351

Although they loom on the horizon for much of the lake, it's around Gargnano that the
mountains really kick in. They rear so steeply it's overwhelming - you don't just look at
views like these, you step into them. Thanks to its awkward location (at the point when
the road north becomes a tortured set of dynamite-blasted tunnels), Gargnano has been
spared the worst excesses of the tourism industry and it retains a pleasant, local feel. It is
linked with the hamlets of Bogliaco and Villa, through which you pass before you reach
Gargnano proper. It's a perfect spot to spend a couple of days relaxing and exploring off-
the-beaten-track nature trails. For more information on walking itineraries around
Gargnano visit www.gargnanosulgarda.com .
In September, Gargnano hosts the lake's most prestigious sailing regatta, the Centomiglia
( www.centomiglia.it ) , which starts in Bogliaco and circumnavigates the lake. It attracts interna-
tional sailors and throughout the week the village celebrates with markets and open-air
concerts.

Sights & Activities
Like Gardone, Gargnano has some impressive Liberty villas and has attracted its fair share
of artists and aristocrats. DH Lawrence stayed at Villa Igea in 1912-13 and wrote Twilight
in Italy, and now the tourist office recommends walking itineraries in his footsteps so you,
too, can see the source of Lawrence's inspiration. The enormous Villa Bettoni (not open to
the public), which is now spliced in two by the Gardesana road - such is the scale of the
property - was modelled on the Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna and Benito Mussolini kept
house at Villa Feltrinelli , now an opulent hotel, when things started to take a downturn for the
Axis powers in 1943.

Chiesa di San Francesco
( 8am-noon & 4-7pm) The Franciscans were Gargnano's first inhabitants, and their modest
13th-century Romanesque church is the village's main monument. They were also some
of the first farmers to cultivate citrus fruits in Europe, and you'll find an array of lemons,
oranges and melons carved lovingly into the capital's inside.

CHURCH

Parco la Fontanella
(Via Rimembranze 18; 9am-9pm mid-Mar-mid-Sep, 10am-5.30pm mid-Sep-mid-Mar; ) A 300m stroll
north from the ferry landing brings you to a beach where gleaming white pebbles fringe
shallow crystalline waters. The shore, bar and restaurant are backed by olive groves which

BEACH