Beyond the Wine
Lugana is found in the lower corners of Lake Garda, from the southern part of the lake where Desenzano, Sirmione, Pozzolengo and Lonato (in the province of Brescia) line its edges. Lugana extends further to Peschiera del Garda, located in the province of Verona.
For adventure and activity lovers, an expiration of the Lugana area is a perfect fit. Not only do you have the chance to taste the amazing Lugana DOC wine, but the area is rich in events and holiday-focused experiences suitable for a wide range of interests and tastes. Start with a peek at the helpful site, https://www.lagodigardaeventi.it/, to get your planning ideas flowing.
Once you’ve wet your whistles with some starting ideas, fear not! We’ve also gathered some of our favorite solutions for you. Check out our suggestions below - we’re sure you’ll find at least one experience (if not more) to try yourselves this year.
For Christmas spirit enthusiasts - December 2021 - Peschiera del Garda + Assorted Towns
For those who love getting into the holiday spirit, Italian Christmas markets, particularly heading north, offer some of the most beautiful attractions lakeside. Nearly all of the towns lining Lake Garda will be offering outdoor market experiences in December 2021 highlighting the Christmas and New Year’s holidays.
What can you expect to see in these assorted Christmas markets?
A smattering of twinkling lights, glossy garlands of mistletoe, and lavish local stands brimming with the green pine branches and red decorations for good luck. These stands staffed with local artisans will feature the finest locally-produced goodies to give to your lucky friends and loved ones, or are simply perfect to keep in your own home for your holiday decorations.
You’ll meander through the avenues of well-stocked stands immersed in the intoxicating scents of cinnamon and ginger, the main aromatic spices used to bake traditional holiday sweets and brew the local favorite mulled wines. The markets represent much more than just a place to shop for decorations and gifts, but also cornerstone areas where the magic of this holiday season and its traditions can be enjoyed.
Don’t miss the Laying of baby Jesus as performed by the Sub Club Peschiera in the Canale di Mezzo accompanied by a parade of boats and local residents representing the different biblical figures in this living re-enactment. Held on December 24th, 2021 in Peschiera del Garda at 6pm onwards.
For Motor Enthusiasts - February and June 2022 Leonato-Brescia-Desenzano-Sirmione
Should you wish to indulge your need for speed, Karting provides a wonderful reply to this itch. South Garda is wonderfully equipped with both professional and amateur racing experiences on its track. Give the karts a whirl with your friends, and come back in early February to kick off the racing season, from February 3rd, 2022 onwards. Further information on the town of Leonato’s racing season and how you can participate viewable at https://www.southgardakarting.it/
Additional racing thrills and chills come in the form of the June season’s Mille Miglia race, a memorable spectacle for racing enthusiasts as well as vintage vehicle lovers. Described by Enzo Ferrari as “the most beautiful race in the world,” Mille Miglia features a race along about 1,600km of Italian road driving starting in Brescia and concluding in Rome.
Wednesday, June 15th will be the departure of the race from Brescia, and is truly one of lower Lake Garda’s most hotly-anticipated events. Leaving from Brescia, the race will continue in the direction of Desenzano and Sirmione.
For the young-at-heart - Summer 2022 - Assorted Lakeside Towns
Lake Garda’s Fireworks Display
Get ready to be swept off your feet at Lake Garda’s Ferragosto 2022. With an aperitivo or a tasty dinner on your boat, you’ll be able to enjoy a night of music and fun on board your boat as you cruise Lake Garda.
What could possibly top this evening?
How about a fireworks display magnificently reflecting off the lake’s waters, providing an unforgettable spectacle of light and illuminations enhanced by a pitch-black evening sky. A sight to behold, and that will likely set the bar impossibly high for any future fireworks you might experience!
For Sports Aficionados - March 18, 2022 onwards - Desenzano sul Garda
The Colnago Cycling Festival 2022 edition returns to Lake Garda. The historic city center of Desenzano will host one of the cycling world’s most anticipated cycling events of the season. The 2022 edition will feature a new facet with a focus on family-friendly features. Two events will be dedicated to families and cycling buffs. The first experience, unveiling the “Colnago Family,” route, cycling-loving families will find a route dedicated to parents and children exploring the nearby Morainic Hills.
The second event will be the “Colnago & Friends, an unique 45km-long cycling tour led by the irrepressible two-time Giro d’Italia winner, Paolo Savoldelli.
Traditional Festival Fans - August 2022 - Peschiera del Garda
The local starting line in the lakeside town of Peschiera del Garda is without a doubt the most coveted, anticipated and heartfelt event of the year.
What starting line are we talking about?The Palio delle Mura race, what else?! Mark your calendars now - end of August 2022 will usher in the XXIX edition of the Peschiera del Garda Palio. The middle channel in Peschiera del Garda will play out a series of pursuit races between individuals in canoes, gondolas, minidragon boats, and SUP (Stand Up Paddleboard) apparatus. The evening, following the races, will feature a great street party, with food stands and entertainment provided by the local DJ Reunion. The block party will be held for the very first time on Peschiera del Garda’s Lungolago Garibaldi.
For Gourmet Food Lovers - End of September - early October 2022 - Tignale’s Truffle Festival
Lake Garda’s town of Tignale is a must-stop locale for lovers of great local food and gourmet products.A superb truffle festivaltival is held in Tignale beginning at the end of September, and offering foodies an expansive timeframe through early October to explore the region's prized seasonal truffles. Do you harbor a preference for high-quality extra-virgin olive oil? You won’t want to miss the organic oil mill located in Tignale. The mill can be visited any time of year, where you can experience the thrill of oil production, and find an array of locally-produced top-quality products (including estate-produced extra-virgin olive oil) available for direct purchase.
Summertime allows for a wide range of outdoor activities, like festivals, fairs featuring traditional local cuisine, summer concerts, and the ever-present fireworks displays, a fundamental part of celebrating our seasonal progress along these amazing lakeside towns.
In countless small towns dotting Lake Garda’s coasts, you’re bound to find condensed versions of Italy's finest traditions, landscapes, and gourmet options. With crystal clear waters and riotously verdant nature as your backdrop, exploring the area’s quality craftsmanship, sporting and cultural events becomes a joy. Add good local food and wine to that experience, and you’ve got an array of occasions that can’t be beat, or missed!
Lake Garda is my choice because….:
For vacation visitors in the Lake Garda area, it takes just minutes to fall head over heels with these towns. With fascinating landscapes to lead the way, the subsequent discovery of the area’s fantastic history and legends, anecdotes and local mysteries is a natural evolution during your stay in the Lake Garda area. It’s not difficult to visualize a series of imaginary characters roaming the local dense woods and hills, flitting in and out of local fortresses and castles.
Extraordinary protagonists of local lore including gods and demigods, nymphs and fairies, fauns, gnomes and goblins, mermaids and giants populate ancient myths and stories passed down through the ages. Thanks to the creativity and sensitivity of the area’s ancestral populace, these magical presences were always retold through folk tales lending a touch of the surreal to this magical, beautiful area.
As we can find often in areas of tremendous natural beauty, often the landscapes are the very source of the oral mythologies surrounding them. In the case of Lake Garda, a legion of ancient nymphs, gods and princesses have lent their names to the nearby valleys, villages, and mountain woods of the area.
The very name of Lake Garda is born from a myth recounting the story of a stunning nymph named Garda, and the subsequent marriage between two area rivers
Origins lost in the fogs of lore and mythology ...
Pagan mythology, according to the ancient Romans, held that the birth of Lake Garda sprung from the hands of Benaco, the god of the river, and his daughter, the nymph Garda. Garda was promised to wed the river Sarca, and this union produced a lake as wide as the seas. In Garda’s local mythology, the figure Benanco, son of Neptune, is a Zeus-like personality, the father of the gods.
We find the presence of Benanco in every tale linked to this territory. Thanks to Benaco’s teeming sense of amorous adventure, there was an endless list of nymphs, women and fairies with whom Benaco was linked. An array of fairy-tale-like figures resulted from Benaco’s many unions with these female characters, resulting in the geographic names dotting the Lake Garda landscape.
It’s thanks to this very ability of the lake to suspend belief that makes people fall in love with its mysterious qualities. Lake Garda allows you to wander through time and space as you enjoy its sublime wines born from the rich nature surrounding the lake. Offering a multitude of festivals, events, trekking excursions, cultural explorations, awe-inspiring landscapes, top-quality gourmet goods and traditions, it’s up to you to pin-point your favorite moments along the Lugana region, a Herculean task. And while finding your favorite might seem arduous, can you think of anything more enjoyable than suspending reason for a while as you tune in with your senses to rediscover your childhood soul that yearns for stories and tales, dashed with a touch of mystery and romance?
Lake Garda is waiting for you to fall in love with it - come soon!