Veneto · Verona
Bardolino
Lake Garda's east-shore wine town, where Corvina and Rondinella grapes have made Bardolino and Chiaretto since the Roman period.
Known for
BARDOLINO
DOC red from Corvina, Rondinella and Molinara, granted in 1968 and produced in the hills between the lake and Verona.
CHIARETTO
Rosé from the same grapes with short skin contact; now outsells the red, celebrated each June at the Palio del Chiaretto.
ROMANESQUE
San Zeno from the ninth century and San Severo from the eleventh-twelfth give Bardolino two of the oldest churches on the lake.
When to visit
Best · Apr–Oct
- J
- F
- M
- A
- M
- J
- J
- A
- S
- O
- N
- D
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
Why come
Bardolino sits on the eastern shore of Lake Garda, twenty-five kilometers northwest of Verona. The hills behind town have been planted with vines since the Roman period, and the modern DOC was granted in 1968. Three grapes do the work: Corvina, Rondinella and Molinara.
Long maceration produces Bardolino, the light red the town has lived on since the nineteenth century; short skin contact produces Chiaretto, the rosé that has overtaken the red in current sales. Two churches hold the medieval line. San Zeno in the centro storico is ninth-century, one of the oldest in the province of Verona.
San Severo, built between the late eleventh and early twelfth centuries on the foundations of an earlier church mentioned in an 893 charter of Berengario, is the town's Romanesque anchor. The lakefront has been a tourist promenade since the 1950s. The Palio del Chiaretto runs the first weekend of June; the Festa dell'Uva e del Vino runs the first week of October.
The Sunday letter
We haven’t written Bardolino’s letter yet.
One town every Sunday, with the photo, the food, the festa. Be there when this one comes up. Free, by Peter & Sophia from Pietrasanta.
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What to see
Chiesa di San Severo
Romanesque church built between the late eleventh and early twelfth centuries on the foundations of a structure mentioned in a 893 charter.
Chiesa di San Zeno
Ninth-century church in the centro storico, one of the oldest in the province of Verona, on a Latin cross plan with a small apse.
Centro storico
Walled medieval core around Piazza Matteotti, with arcaded streets dating to the Venetian period from the fifteenth century.
Lungolago
Lakefront promenade running north toward Garda and south toward Cisano, with public swimming areas and the harbor for ferries.
Strada del Bardolino
Wine route through the hills behind town, signposted across Cavaion, Affi, Pastrengo and the vineyards of the Bardolino DOC.
The slow-trip planner
Building a trip? Find where Bardolino fits in a slow Italy circuit.
Answer five questions. We will shape a geographically coherent slow trip from the 1,000 Italian towns most travelers skip. Yours to save and share.
We recommend
Where to eat and stay
Not our picks, but places the guides put their name to — a Michelin star, a Gambero Rosso fork, a Slow Food snail, a Michelin Key for the hotels. Worth a table, a counter, or a night when you pass through.
Il Giardino delle EsperidiRistorante
A spot in the Michelin Guide, at Il Giardino delle Esperidi.
La Veranda del ColorRistorante
La Veranda del Color holds a spot in the Michelin Guide.
Living here
- Population 6,919
- In-betweeni
- Pharmacy in town
- High school within a 30-minute drive
- Train station in the comune
- Nearest airport Verona, 44 min drive
- Regional capital Venezia, 1 h 43 min drive
Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources
Recognised as
The numbers
- Elevation: 65 m
- Population: 6,919
- Surface area: 57.33 km²
These figures were compiled from public directories — ISTAT, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata — and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.
Featured on
Bardolino appears on 2 themed picks from our Collections:
Close by
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