Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Eight kilometres further north, Limone sul Garda is the last town in Lombardy. Here, stone
houses tumble down steep slopes and cobbled lanes meander towards a waterfront lined
with pastel-painted houses. Inevitably in the summer it's besieged by tourists (nearly
10,000 a day) and the trinket sellers and snack bars are there in force.
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Lake Garda North Bank
The northern tip of Lake Garda lies across the border from Lombardy in the Alpine region
of Trentino-Alto Adige. Fjord-like, the glassy water lies in the shadow of the lake's
highest peaks. Currents of air, swooping off their sheer slopes ensure the towns of Riva,
Torbole and Malcesine attract windsurfers and sailors, and shoreside towns and hotels are
well equipped with rentals and surfing schools.
Riva del Garda & Around
POP 15,800 / ELEV 73M
Encircled by towering rock faces and a looping landscaped lakefront, Riva's appealing
historic core is arranged around handsome Piazza III Novembre and is a medley of maze-
like streets and period facades.
For centuries Riva's position at the northern tip of the lake, a key access for northern
armies into Italy, lent it a vital strategic role. In the Middle Ages the town was a port for
the Prince-Bishops of Trento, and throughout its history Riva was much fought over, ruled
at various times by the Republic of Venice, Milan's Visconti and Verona's Della Scala
families. In 1815 it became part of the Austrian Empire (Trentino itself is still considered
the Südtirol) and soon became a holiday resort for the Archduke and the northern
European intelligentsia. Stendhal, Thomas Mann and Kafka all summered here, drawn by
Goethe's evocative descriptions in his 1786 bestseller, Italian Journeys .
 
 
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