Tremosine is not so much a village as a plateau hung on the cliffs above the western shore of Lake Garda, a scattering of hamlets spread across a terrace roughly 400 metres above the water. The main settlement, Pieve, sits on the edge, with a terrace that overlooks the lake from a height that makes the stomach lurch. Across the water lies Malcesine, and in the evening the lights of the east shore twinkle. Nearby Gardola is the administrative centre of the commune. The area is tiny in population, with only a few hundred people in each village, so fuel is not something you can count on up here.
The famous way up is the Strada della Forra, a road cut in the early twentieth century through a narrow ravine from Limone and the lakeshore. It was called by Winston Churchill, according to local lore, the eighth wonder of the world, though that attribution is hard to prove. The road is narrow, carved into the rock, with overhangs above and a drop to a gorge below, and a series of short tunnels. It is tight enough that large vehicles can struggle, and you may meet a bus coming the other way, so keep to your side and go slowly.
The riding on the plateau itself is quieter and less dramatic, but rewarding: narrow lanes among pastures and woodland, small chapels and views on all sides. The surface is mostly good, though gravel appears in places, and the gradient is steady. It is the sort of place where the best thing to do is stop at a cafe terrace over the cliff and watch the paragliders drop from the edge. A few viewpoints, including the Terrazza del Brivido, a glass-floored platform, give a sense of the drop.
Fuel and supplies are best taken in Salò or on the lakeshore before you climb, as the nearest big pumps are down at the lake. The local cooking is mountain-style: polenta, cured meats, game and cheese, with lake fish near the shore. Summer weekends are busy, spring and autumn are calm, and a clear morning in October, with fresh air and gentle light, is hard to beat.