Lake Garda offers attentive visitors innumerable cultural opportunities: besides the cities of art like Verona or Mantova – appreciated by tourists from all over the world – it is also possible to visit many places that have a significant cultural (Sirmione, Gardone, Riva del Garda), ecological and landscaping value (Mount Baldo, Mincio Park, Lessinia Reserve). Here is a brief guide concerning the main museums and main places every tourist should not miss visiting during a holiday on Lake Garda. Click on the "description" link to open the chart which offers a brief explanation about the place or the museum.
The Vittoriale degli Italiani is located in Gardone Riviera, on Lake Garda. It was writer Gabriele’s home. It occupies a very vast territory on which there is the poet’s home, a mausoleum, a MAS, a ship which was donated to him by the Italian navy and later set in between the rocks of his park, a open-air theatre and an auditorium in which the famous plane used by the writer for the famous flight over Vienna is kept. The Vittoriale, similar to a little town, is made up of a series of parks, gardens, monuments, remains, including all his books, documents and artworks. In fact, at the Vittoriale you can find Gabriele d’Annunzio’s private library which includes about 25.000 books, among which, the most significant ancient part dating back from the XV to the XVIII century and d’Annunzio’s library holding more than a 6300 book heritage and a section of periodicals.
For further information visit the mini web site.
Museums and archaeology
"Caves" of Catullo

Tel.: 030 916157

Fax: 030 9906002

Piazzale Orti Manara - 25019 Sirmione (BS)
Description
The ruins of the Roman villa which for centuries has been known as the “Caves of Catullo” are the most famous example of a private gentleman’s building in the entire northern area of Italy. I resti della villa romana nota da secoli con il nome di "Grotte di Catullo" costituiscono l'esempio più grandioso di edificio privato di carattere signorile di tutta l'Italia settentrionale. The villa, located in a splendid panoramic position, at the end of the peninsula of Sirmione, in between an olive-yard, is built on three different levels in order to overpass the rock’s natural inclination.
Lake Garda’a parks
Lessinia Reserve

Tel.: 045 6799211

Fax :045 6780677

P.zza Borgo, 52 - 37021 B. Chiesanuova (VR)
Description
The park encompasses within its perimeter various architectural kinds of jewels which are part of Lessinia’s tradition, an evidence which shows the way man used the territory. The suggestive districts are areas for permanent settlement which are distributed on the medium average mountain level belt, and, in the higher part of Lessinia, situated in dominant positions, there are temporary huts connected to Alpine pasture. Other typical elements of the human landscape are sheep tracks and fencing built with rock sheets which are vertically implanted into the ground or with dry-walling.
Mincio Park

Tel.: 0376 228320

Fax: 0376 397138

Ponti S/M, Monzambano, Volta, ..., Mantova
Description
Environmental education and Ecotourism - Visits, excursions, workshops and teaching projects: environmental education and ecotourism activities have a double aim of giving value to the natural and anthropic heritage of Mincio Park’s territory and of being a support for the school system in order to establish environmental education activities to make our future sustainable.
Molina Falls Park

Tel.: n.d.

Fax: n.d.

Molina, Località Vaccarole (VR)
Description
Besides sparkling Falls, the park also offers visitors a landscape with woods and meadows which are frequently interrupted by torrents and water shores which coast the sweetness of greenery in its unlimited variety of vegetation and along the grey colours of the crags.
Parco Giardino Sigurtà

Tel.: 045 6371033

Fax :045 6370959

Valeggio Sul Mincio (VR)
Description
Parco Giardino Sigurtà has been existing for more than thirty years on the hills which surround the Mincio Valley in Valeggio, near the area of Lake Garda, 8 kilometres far from Peschiera. At parco giardino Sicurtà you can admire a great variety of plants and spend a whole day in peace and quite, far from the traffic which constantly afflicts the area of Lake Garda. Besides this, you will find refreshment points around the Park where you can stop and have a picnic; shops where you can buy various gadgets and above all the new cute mascot.
Hruska Botany Garden

Tel.: 0336 410877

Fax : 0365 521139

Via Roma, Gardone Riviera (BS)
Description
Between 1910 and 1971, naturalist and botanist, Dr. Arturo Hruska created a 1 hectare minature dolomitic garden. Inside the garden you can admire lakelets, streams and original hydraulic engineering solutions. In addition, the garden includes the most interesting Alpine flora species and many botanical rarities. Since 1989 it is owned by Austrian multi-media artist André Heller, who has made it become precious thanks to numerous contemporary art works.
Parco Alto Garda Bresciano

Tel.: 0365 71449

Fax : 0365 72585

via Oliva 23, Gargnano (BS)
Description
The Park’s museum represents the union between the mountain and the lake: in fact, it holds the documented and amazing synthesis of the many naturalistic and landscape interests characterizing Garda’s territory and hinterland. The museum’s modern exposition spaces show the visitor all the extraordinary landscapes which both natural events and man have been able to model.