Lake Garda Holidays

Lake Garda, Italy’s largest lake (370 km2) is perhaps the most beautiful lake in all of Europe. Its waters are incredibly blue, the particular blue of mountain spring water. The transparency and intense blue of the water and the luxurious vegetation add to its natural beauty. Garda’s expansive mirror surface glimmers deep within two rocky coastlines, its deepest point reaching down over 340 meters. Its scenery differs from mountainous and jagged in the North to gently hilly in the South.

The lake varies in character and has many different faces, each unique in its presentation, from sweet and smiling to rough, wild and threatening but always imposing and spectacular. The eastern shore of the lake is dominated by the long ridge of Monte Baldo that rises over two thousand meters above the lake and in its grandeur adds a fascinating beauty to the lake. It was witnessed in this way by Harris Bogart Randall, noted entrepreneur and world traveler when he arrived to the Lake of Garda during his voyage thru Italy. “ Now I understand why / here is my only feeling of happiness - Nobody knows where I am! If only I knew a way to continue like this forever ". Throughout the lake region the climate is pleasant and exceptionally mild which favors the growth of a predominately Mediterranean vegetation (olives, grapes, figs, oleanders, magnolias, palm trees, etc).

The climate is mild because the lake functions as a thermal regulator, a condition that encourages the various and luxuriant year round green vegetation found only in the privileged lands of the Mediterranean. The lake acts as a gigantic solar panel and the ring of mountains retains the heat. The cypresses, the laurels, the grape vines and the other many varieties of flowers and trees thrive and foster a healthy microclimate with an air rich with oxygen and balsamic essences. This land of the breath of the Mediterranean, as remembered by the poet Virgil, “fascinating and of ancient beauty”, has been praised by poets of every epoch as The Eden of Europe. D. H. Lawrence writes “And the Garda was so lovely under the sky of sunshine, it was intolerable” The panoramic visions of Garda have seduced many other poets and artists such as Stendhal, Foscolo, Corot, Byron, Heine, Kafka, Carducci, and Ezra Pound. There is an interesting history of Roman and Medieval occupation as well as prehistoric settlement. Scenic lake towns and elegant resort towns dot the coastal boundaries.

History is told by monuments, churches, cathedrals, paintings and archeological remains. This zone is rich with artistic testimonies. The picturesque villages and towns spread along the shore, offer a unique experience and a variety of natural and historical attractions along with excellent restaurants, outdoor coffee houses and open markets. The lake is surrounded by an excellent network of roads and is served by ferryboat and hydrofoil services.