The Garda has always been the preferred definition of important personalities of the Italian political panorama, as well as artists and cultural icons; in fact, there are many villas and gardens bearing witness to this past. For fans of art, history and culture, the Garda also offers many permanent collections, exhibits, and archeological sites: not far from Hotel Bogliaco, in the city of San Valentino, is a typical hermitage, reachable only on foot. In the city Valle delle Cartiere, in Toscolano, on the other hand, is the interesting, newly-renovated Paper Museum.
Spostandovi lungo la costa, verso la parte più bassa del lago, troverete a Gardone Riviera il Museo del Divino Infante, una preziosa collezione di più di 250 sculture provenienti da quattro secoli di storia raffiguranti il Bambino Gesù e Maria Bambina, mentre nel centro di Salò sorge il Museo Storico del Nastro Azzurro, dedicato al valore militare.
Spingendovi verso l'estremo sud del Garda, a Sirmione, incontrerete un raro esempio di bellezza: le Grotte di Catullo, resti di una villa di epoca romana, appartenente alla famiglia del poeta latino.
This is the case of the Vittoriale degli Italiani in Gardone Riviera, a little museum city that the poet Gabriele D’Annunzio had built as a symbol of his devotion to the cult of the esthetic and to warriors.
Villa of the Conti Cavazza, on the Isola della Garda, a residence of rare beauty in neogothic Venetian style.
Visitors must not miss the André Heller Foundation Botanical Garden in Gardone Riviera; in this other dimension, nature and art blend, creating a unique environment. There are many species of plants and flowers from around the world, as well as works by important artists such as Keith Haring, Mimmo Paladino and Roy Lichtenstein.
