What is Gardone Riviera known for?

Hillside estate Gabriele D'Annunzio built between 1921 and 1938 with architect Gian Carlo Maroni as a monument to himself and the First World War. Protected cruiser of the Regia Marina built into the Vittoriale hillside, gifted in 1923 and reassembled above Lake Garda on land. Botanical garden begun by Arturo Hruska around 1901, taken on by André Heller in 1989, with bamboo, ravines and waterfalls.

Where is Gardone Riviera?

Gardone Riviera is a comune in the province of Brescia, Lombardy region of Italy, about 43 kilometers from Brescia.

Lombardy · Brescia

Gardone Riviera

A western Garda lakeshore town whose hillside holds the Vittoriale, the estate Gabriele D'Annunzio turned into a monument to himself.

43 km / 27 mi

Nearest hub (Brescia)

2,626

Population

Apr–Oct

Best time to visit

Recognised as

Why come

Gardone Riviera sitson the western shore of Lake Garda, in the province of Brescia. The lake here runs deep against the wall of Monte Pizzocolo, and the climate stays mild enough that lemons, olives and bamboo grow within walking distance of each other. The town has two reasons to come. The Vittoriale degli Italiani is the nine-hectare hillside estate Gabriele D'Annunzio occupied from 1922 until his death in 1938: his villa called the Prioria, the protected cruiser Puglia set into the slope above the lake, the boathouse holding the MAS torpedo boat from his 1918 raid on Buccari, an amphitheatre and a circular mausoleum. The architect was Gian Carlo Maroni. Above the centro storico, the Giardino Botanico Hruska (now the Heller Garden) was started around 1901 by Austrian dentist Arturo Hruska, who spent six decades arranging bamboo, alpine ravines, Japanese ponds and waterfalls on a single hillside. The lakefront promenade carries the Bandiera Blu.

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Gallery

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Known for

Vittoriale degli Italiani
Nine-hectare hillside estate occupied by Gabriele D'Annunzio from 1922 to 1938, with villa, amphitheatre, mausoleum and the cruiser Puglia.
Nave Puglia
Protected cruiser of the Regia Marina set into the slope above the lake, gifted to D'Annunzio in 1923 and assembled on land at the Vittoriale.
Giardino Botanico Hruska (Heller Garden)
Botanical garden begun around 1901 by Arturo Hruska, with bamboo, Japanese ponds, alpine ravines and waterfalls on a single hillside.
Anfiteatro del Vittoriale
Open-air amphitheatre on the Vittoriale grounds, used for summer opera, theatre and concert seasons each July and August.
Lungolago
Lakefront promenade between Gardone Sotto and the Heller Garden, carrying the Bandiera Blu, with ferry pier and small harbour.

When to visit

Best months · Apr–Oct

Best
Hot or crowded
Quiet
Mostly closed

April through June and September into October are the months western Garda works best. The Vittoriale grounds are walkable, the Heller Garden is in full bloom, and the ferry between Salò and Riva del Garda runs regular service. July and August fill the lakefront with day-trippers and the Vittoriale amphitheatre hosts its summer opera season; afternoons get warm but the lake breeze holds steady. November through March is quiet, many lakefront hotels close, and the lemon trees go under their winter covers. The view from the upper Vittoriale path, lake spread below toward Sirmione, is the photograph the regulars come back for.