riva del garda 🗺

The setting is reason enough to visit Riva del Garda as it lays at the northern tip of Lago di Garda, one of the nice northern lakes of Italy along with Lago Maggiore and Lago di Como. I have never been directly by this lake although I have passed nearby going up to or down from Brennero - the route over the alps from Verona to Innsbruck is really beautiful. Lago di Garda is on the border beween Italian regions Veneto to the east and Lombardia to the west. Except in the far north where it sneaks into Trentino for its northern-most part. Thus Riva del Garda was Austrian until as late as 1919 when after the great war Trentino was ceased to Italy. Before the austrians the venetians were a major force.

Adert, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Ferrovio Mori-Arco-Rivo and how to get there

What must have been quite a spectacular railway existed between Mori and Riva del Garda between 1891 and 1936. The train station now houses the restaurant Pizzeria il Veliero at one end and the tourist office at the other.

Nowadays there are buses from several directions. The most convenient approach is by train on the Verona - Innsbruck line, get off at Rovereto and take a bus from there. This is more or less the same route as the old railway. Other scenic options are buses from Garda on the east side of the lake and if coming from Brescia there are buses on the west side also. From up north another option is getting on the bus in Trento.

Food

Osteria degli Artisti - Roman cuisine (meaning coming from Rome - not the ancient Roman empire) in the historical centre.
emozioni - ‘fish & wine’ in a different and interesting modern building a bit from the historical centre.
Villino Beach - posh loungy place close to the beach in the 19th century Villino Campi

Culture

It is easy to start thinking about Italian culture. But then you think a bit more and realize that Italy is only some 150 years old and that the unification process has surely put its mark on the country there are older source in every part of the country that needs to be considered. Also this part of Italy has only been such for 100 years. In this case there is the northern city state heritage with Venetian and Veronesan influnces along with the bishopric of Trento. A certain amount of germanic influence added during the Austrian years gives an interesting mix. Forts, towers and churches though - this is what you meet all over Europe.

Rocca di Riva del Garda - this fortress originally built in 1124 now houses the Museo Alto Garda.
Torre Apponale - towers everywhere in Italy right? This one built in the 13th century.
lots of old churches among them the baroque Chiesa Santa Maria Inviolata Martin Kraft, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Via Ferrata

This is the land of the Via Ferrata. Several options close to Riva. I’m extra enthusiastic about the Via Ferrata dell’Amicizia just on top of the city with stunning views of both Riva and Lago. Stunning! I tried to find an openly licensed photo to use here but with no success. Once I’ve visited this will change!

written by fredrik at 2021-04-28