The Riviera dei Limoni e dei Castelli consortium for tourist promotion groups together the coastal and inland towns on the western banks of Lake Garda: Salò, Gardone Riviera, Toscolano Maderno, Gargnano, Tignale, Tremosine, Limone sul Garda, Valvestino and Magasa.
The area promoted by the consortium coincides with the territory of the Comunità Montana Alto Garda Bresciano Park, a regional natural reserve established in 1989. The scenery is beautiful and the microclimate has created a genuine Mediterranean oasis with mild temperatures and lush vegetation.
This area, ideal for both family holidays and romantic weekends, offers numerous attractions to make your vacation memorable. It also lets you discover the local traditions and culture. A wide assortment of sports can be enjoyed here, and there are numerous food and wine itineraries featuring the delicious local cuisine that gourmands will love.
Here on the Riviera dei Limoni there are endless opportunities to learn more about the history of the area and its inhabitants.
The Alto Garda area welcomed its first "visitors" 9,000 years ago in the Mesolithic Age, a fact proven by the many flint arrowheads, chisels, and scrapers found at the foot of Monte Castello di Gaino in the town of Toscolano Maderno.
These early inhabitants definitely knew how to pick prime real estate, considering the sweeping views of the lake in this particular location at 870 meters above sea level. As the centuries passed, the western banks of Lake Garda became more populated with different civilizations. The stone imbedded in the bell tower of Voltino di Tremosine is a vestige of Etruscan culture, while several words commonly used in the local dialect derive from the Celtic language.
The remains of the Roman villa in Toscolano Maderno and the Lugone necropolises in Salò are just a few examples of the political and administrative influence of the Romans in the area.
The many fortresses built in the early Middle Ages are an indication of the strategic importance of the territory: besides the previously mentioned Gaino Castle (with the remains of a 6th century fortress), there is the Tignale Castle upon which a famous sanctuary (open to the public) was built. Meanwhile, the traditional thatched roofs on the barns of Cima Rest, in Magasa (Valvestino valley), date back to the Longobard era. Spirituality emerged as a powerful element starting in the 10th century A.D., a fact proven by the hermitages of San Giorgio in Varolo (Tignale), Campione, and the San Michele Grotto (Tremosine). Numerous places of worship built after the year 1000, such as the Romanesque churches of San Pietro (Limone), Sant'Andrea (Toscolano Maderno), and San Pietro (Gardola di Tignale), indicate the continuing importance of this northern section of the lake. Two other churches of note are San Giacomo and San Francesco (Gargnano). The latter is built next to a cloister with columns decorated with lemons: it is one of the first depictions of the fruit that was introduced in the area by the Franciscan monks in the 12th century and later had an enormous effect upon the landscape and farming economy. Lemon houses can still be seen along the Riviera, especially the Castel (Limone), Pra de la Fam (Tignale), and Gandossi (Gargnano) lemon houses.
Between 1426 and 1797, the western banks of Lake Garda were named "Magnifica Patria" [Magnificent Land] and ruled by the Republic of Venice: the Saint Mark's Lion can still be seen in several places, even if some of the statues were damaged by Napoleon's troops when they invaded Italy in the early 19th century. The Venetian period left a profound mark upon the area, and its influence can still be seen in the Cathedral, Palazzo Coen, and the Palace and Loggia of the Magnifica Patria in Salò.
Several agricultural "niche" products typical of the area first got their start in those centuries: after the lemon came the olive that was joined by lake fishing and a small production of excellent cheese in the hills of Tremosine and San Michele of Gardone Riviera, or in the mountains at Denai di Magasa.
The appearance of the Riviera dei Limoni gradually changed and was beautified by the addition of splendid aristocratic villas and gardens: Villa Simonini (now the Hotel Laurin in Salò), Palazzo Martinengo (Barbarano), the Hruska Garden (now known as the André Heller Garden) in Gardone Riviera, Villa Zanardelli (Maderno), Palazzo Bettoni with its Italian-style garden (Bogliaco), the Villa and Palazzo Feltrinelli (Gargnano) and the Villa of Sostaga, near Navazzo.
When writers and artists - from the Latin poet Catullus to Goethe and, in the last century, David Herbert Lawrence, Gabriele d'Annunzio, Gustav Klimt, and many others - came here, it was love at first sight. In exchange, the great culture of these "promoters" left its mark upon the Riviera.
The Riviera dei Limoni was not only the home of great men of culture, but also of a great symbol of human abnegation: missionary Father Daniele Comboni from Limone sul Garda, who was recently made a saint.