Infotrentino

Torbole

With its characteristic historical centre and its picturesque port, it is the venue of windsurfers and sailing enthusiasts from all over Europe

Located close to the mouth of the River Sarca, Torbole stands at the foot of Monte Baldo. Torbole has been a tourist resort since the 15th century when it became a favourite holiday venue for the travellers transiting along the Atesina road joining Germany with Italy; among these, celebrities such as Montaigne e Goethe.

The town is located close to the mouth of the River Sarca and climbs up along the calcareous slope of the extreme north-western foothills of the Monte Baldo range, known throughout Europe for its rich flora. The houses are laid out as in an amphitheatre along the contour of the gulf opposite the large ramparts of Monte Rocchetta and of the Ledro Alps. The area was first inhabited in prehistoric times then colonized by the Romans and subsequently annexed to Nago, the castellan seat of the Counts of Arco, to form a community. In 1439, Torbole was witness to an extraordinary event that occurred during the Third Lombard War (1438) between Milan and the Republic of Venice that wished to consolidate its hold on mainland: the Venetians transported an entire fleet, consisting of 25 barges and 6 galleys through the Valle del Càmeras all the way to Lake Garda in order to gain naval control of the lake. In April 1440, the small Venetian fleet on the lake thrashed that of the Visconti and stormed Riva. Tourism in Torbole has been a vocation since the 15th century when it became a favourite among the travellers who transited along the Atesina road between Germany and Italy. Montaigne visited Torbole in 1580, but it was Goethe who launched it in the eyes of the travellers of German Romanticism. Cesare Arici, a delicate idyllic and rural poet from Brescia, sings of "Torbole abounding in fish". The town’s extraordinary picturesque appearance attracted many German painters of the Romantic and late-Romantic period. Up until the 20‘s, its economy was based on fishing and the cultivation of fruit and olive trees that flourished in its mild climate, but after the end of WWII this type of economy was abandoned in favour of the tourist industry which ended up involving almost its entire population. Today Torbole is acclaimed as a water sports haven owing to its winds that are constant and reliable. The area surrounding Monte Baldo and all the way up to Nago offers excellent mountain bike excursions based on the breathtaking views out onto the lake. Torbole we offer you a wide range of accomodation: hotels, campings, residences, apartments, farmhouses and bed & breakfast for your unforgettable Lake Garda holidays.

WHAT TO SEE: The “Casa del Dazio” (customs station) once the seat of the Austrian customs office, provides a pleasing Venetian atmosphere to the small harbour with the ogival porticoes of Casa Stefenelli on one side. Out towards the open lake is Casa Beust where Lietzmann frescoed Saint Anthony talking to the fish. The current Via Segantini (Picalòf) crosses the flat section of Torbole amidst houses facing out onto the splendid lakeshore promenade and the groups of houses climbing up along the rocky cliffs. Piazza Vittorio Veneto is the town’s parlour: at the Porteghét (portico) there is the small fountain of Casa Alberti, formerly the restaurant Osteria Alla Rosa with a bronze medallion (F.Ciancianaini) and epigraph commemorating Goethe’s stopover, while at Casa Barcelli a plaque commemorates that of Josef II of Hapsburg (1741-1790), son of Maria Teresa of Austria. Along the Pontèra or the Scalinada del Picalof stairway visitors ascend the hill of St. Andrew. The parish church of S.Andrea, officially mentioned in 1175 and restructured in the Baroque era, has a single nave and two side chapels. From the church visitors can enjoy a beautiful panoramic view that from the Penede castle overhead reaches out over Lake Garda and all the way off to Rocca di Manerba.

RECOMMENDED SPORTS:
WINDSURFING: SURF CENTER MARCO SEGNANA: Eight top level centres at Torbole, Riva del Garda and Lake Molveno. Tel. 0464 505963.
VASCO RENNA SURF CENTER Parco Pavese - Torbole sul Garda. Tel. 0464 505993

SAILING:
CIRCOLO VELA TORBOLE 38069 TORBOLE SUL GARDA (Trento) Lungolago Verona 6, Loc. Conca d'oro 6 Tel. 0464 506240 - Fax 0464 506076