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.

When is the best time to visit Gardone Riviera?

Apr–Oct. 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.

Where is Gardone Riviera?

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

How do I get to Gardone Riviera?

From Brescia, Gardone Riviera is roughly 43 km by road.

Gardone Riviera, Brescia

Known for

VITTORIALE
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.
NAVE PUGLIA
Protected cruiser of the Regia Marina built into the Vittoriale hillside, gifted in 1923 and reassembled above Lake Garda on land.
HELLER GARDEN
Botanical garden begun by Arturo Hruska around 1901, taken on by André Heller in 1989, with bamboo, ravines and waterfalls.

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

Gardone Riviera sits on 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 divides between the lakefront and the hill above it.

Along the water, Gardone Sotto holds the promenade and harbour; above the centro storico, the ground rises toward the estate grounds and, further up, toward the garden that has drawn on the same mild hillside climate since the start of the twentieth century. The boathouse on the estate holds a torpedo boat from a 1918 wartime raid, alongside the villa called the Prioria, an amphitheatre and a circular mausoleum. The garden above town spent six decades being arranged, one man working a single hillside into bamboo groves, alpine ravines, Japanese ponds and waterfalls.

The lakefront promenade carries the Bandiera Blu. What holds the town together is that division of altitude: a working lakefront below, and above it two hillside projects, one architectural and one botanical, each built slowly and by a single hand over decades on the same slope.

What to see

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 estate grounds, used for summer opera, theatre and concert seasons each July and August.
Lungolago
Lakefront promenade between Gardone Sotto and the botanical garden, carrying the Bandiera Blu, with ferry pier and small harbour.

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.

Lido 84Ristorante
Lido 84 has the number 16 spot on the World's 50 Best, three Gambero Rosso forks (91/100) and a place in L'Espresso's Top 300, among other nods.
Il FagianoRistorante
Il Fagiano holds one Michelin star and two Gambero Rosso forks (84/100).
Villa FiordalisoRistorante
A Gambero Rosso listing for Villa Fiordaliso, and a spot in the Michelin Guide.
BalìRistorante
Balì carries two Gambero Rosso forks (80/100).
Osteria Antico BroloRistorante
Osteria Antico Brolo carries a spot in the Michelin Guide.
Grand Hotel FasanoHotel
A Leading Hotels of the World listing for Grand Hotel Fasano, and a place in the Michelin hotel guide.
Grand HotelHotel
Grand Hotel holds a place on Italy's historic-locali register.

Living here

Population 2,626
In-betweeni
Pharmacy in town
High school within a 30-minute drive
Nearest airport Milan, 1 h 21 min drive
Regional capital Milano, 1 h 58 min drive

Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources

Recognised as

The numbers

Elevation: 71 m
Population: 2,626
Surface area: 21.39 km²

On the map

Google Maps Apple Maps Directions from Brescia

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.

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