Garda Lake and its territory offer a unique and rich lands cultivated by vineyards and olive groves. The north part of the lake is known for the cultivation of citrus fruits with its magnificent lemon nurseries handed down through history.

Grapes, olives and lemons, three fruits, three different landscapes, magnificent in their beauty. Linked to the cycle of the seasons, give the typical images of the landscape of Garda Lake.

For lovers of the land and traditions, for those looking for uncommon places and for those who appreciate the slow pace and the pleasure of good food, a journey to discover this reality is a must.

The passion for this land, the love of wine and respect of those who work are the basis of wine production. A long process that grows day by day and that requires knowledge and perseverance. Love for quality and slowness, for the change of the seasons from which the vineyard draws its life.

To explore the places of production, guided tours of wineries, go on a tour by bicycle riding through the roads dotted with vineyards, out of the busy roads of Garda Lake is a very intense experience that leads to know the area and its gastronomic richesness.

One of the most famous area, which extends a short walk from Sirmione is “Lugana”, a small plot of land, which is one of the areas with the largest wine growing. Lugana is precious wine, which where its name come from, even the poet Catullo had confirmed its quality and which still today is expertly cultivated by farmers.

There are five municipalities that identify areas of Lugana: Sirmione, Desenzano, Lonato and Pozzolengo in the province of Brescia and Peschiera del Garda in the province of Verona gathered in the Consorzio of Lugana Doc.

Firstly the Consortium was established with the dual purpose of enhancement, protection and preservation of the territory, secondly to promote the knowledge and the value of this extraordinary wine in the world.

The “Riviera dei Limoni” is the name given to the west coast of the lake, including countrysides from Salò to Limone sul Garda. The tradition of the lemon goes back to the thirteenth century, when the first lemons were imported from the Ligurian Riviera by the monks of the monastery of San Francesco di Gargnano and since then has become an entrenched culture of Garda, carried out with skill and passion.

Lemon nurseries, architectural structures designed to protect the plantations during harsh winters, have become key feature throughout the west coast of Garda Lake.

A good example is Tignale where it was opened an eco-museum “Al Pra de la fam”, also called “Old Garden” that shows visitors one of the oldest lemon nursery of Garda Lake.

Located by the lake, inside the greenhouse it hosts numerous trails and an observatory that allows the visitors to this facility in which dwell collections citrus arranged according to the traditional planting system and supported by the historic wooden frame.

Another prominent example is in Limone del Garda, where  the limonaia called “Castel” covers an area of over 1.600 square meters and its original structure, which today unfortunately remains only a part, dates back to 1700. At the center of the garden is located a “Casel”, was formerly used as a point of connection between the different levels on which we developed the limonaia and today equipped with educational museum. The limonaia is kept active and produces various citrus species including, in addition to lemons, there are cedar, sweet and bitter orange, bergamot, grapefruit and tangerines.

The “Riviera dei Limoni” encloses places of extraordinary beauty and cultural uniqueness and territorial; It offers a Mediterranean-type vegetation is that mountain and it is certainly one of the most characteristic elements of Lake Garda.

The famous “Riviera degli olivi” is the name of the eastern shore of Lake Garda; the olive tree is at home here for centuries. The cultivation of the olive tree has ancient origins. It was introduced in Etruscan times, but especially during the Roman empire that spreads, as shown by monuments of Roman. In the magnificent landscape, characterized by a succession of creeks, villages and castles, they fit the typical plants of the Mediterranean flora.

From Peschiera del Garda to Malcesine, fifty kilometers of enchantment become famous not only for its unique landscape in Italy, but also for the production of olive oil.

Thanks to the territorial structure and the special Mediterranean climate, with modest temperature changes, this is the most northerly in the world where oil is produced. The large body of water of the lake moderates, in fact, the climate of the region enabling the growth of the olive trees. Olive cultivation was practiced in the monasteries of the area also in liturgical purposes and there are evidences of very ancient olive groves and oil mills along the entire coast of the lake.

In the “Museum of Oil” in Cisano, are possible visits that illustrate the history of the oil of the Garda and the methods of production that have occurred over the centuries. At the end of the visit you can make tastings of local varieties of extra virgin olive Garda and buy products.