Gardone Riviera is where Lake Garda decided to be elegant. It sits on the western shore, a few kilometres from Salò, in a sheltered bay with a mild climate that made it a favourite winter resort for the Austro-Hungarian and German aristocracy in the late nineteenth century. Grand hotels with wrought-iron balconies still line the lakefront, and palms, cypress and magnolias grow in the gardens, giving the place a faintly Mediterranean look even though the Alps are close behind. The botanical garden, founded by Arturo Hruska in the early twentieth century, collects plants from many climates and is a pleasant shady escape on a hot day.
The most extraordinary place in town is the Vittoriale degli Italiani, the house and estate of the poet and soldier Gabriele D'Annunzio, who lived here from 1921 until his death in 1938. It is part museum, part mausoleum and part fever dream, a collection of rooms, gardens and monuments that includes the prow of a warship set into the hillside. D'Annunzio was a poet, a war hero and an early supporter of Mussolini, and the place reflects his flamboyance and ego. Whatever you think of him, it is unforgettable.
Riding on the western shore of Garda is a mixed pleasure. The Gardesana Occidentale, the main lakeside road, is spectacular, passing through tunnels cut into the cliffs with the blue water below, but it is also busy, particularly at weekends and in summer, with heavy traffic and slow-moving lorries. Overtaking is limited, and the tunnels can be loud and dark. Early morning is best, or late autumn and early spring, when the crowds have gone and the light is clear. In the afternoon, a wind called the Ora blows up the lake from the south and gives sailors their best sport.
The services are excellent. Gardone has hotels, restaurants and cafes along the waterfront, with fresh lake fish, risotto and local olive oil on the menu. Salò, three and a half kilometres to the south, is a larger town with fuel, supermarkets and a handsome promenade, and was briefly the capital of Mussolini's puppet republic in the last years of the war.
If you have time, take a short ride up into the hills behind the lake, where the roads are quiet and the views of the water are lovely. In the evening, the lakefront is a good spot to sit with a spritz and watch the lights come on.