For tranquility far removed from its heavily touristed neighbors, Gardone will work wonders. A trip here was once commonly prescribed by doctors for European elites. The collection of villages that comprise the Gardone Riviera (gar-DOH-neh REE-vee-yeh-ra; pop. 2500) now serve as laid-back lake vacation destinations for many British visitors. Gracefully aging villas of colored stucco and lush gardens of Mediterranean citrus and olive trees surround the calm town. Il Vittoriale is the sprawling estate of Gabriele D’Annunzio, a poet, novelist, WWI soldier, and latter-day Casanova. Inside, there are ornate rooms and artifacts, and the Museo della Guerra (Museum of the War). Absolutely do not miss touring the villa itself—a truly quirky playwright, D’Annunzio’s house reflects his fascination with poetry, world religions, and leprosy, and is filled with various architectural features designed to teach his guests lessons on D’Annunzio’s strange standards of behavior. (Museum and Villa open daily 9:30am-7pm. Mandatory guided tour available in many languages. Grounds and gardens open 8:30am-8pm.). The Fondazione al Vittoriale sponsors the Festival d’Estate in music: dance, theater, and lyrical opera in the 1500-seat open-air Teatro del Vittoriale, V. Vittoriale 12. (Festival d’Estate ☎0522 45 51 93; fax 0522 45 43 19. Ticket office ☎0365 29 65 06; www.teatrodelvittoriale.it. Performances July-Aug. Tickets €20-40.) Gardone’s fairly new museum Il Divino Infante, V. dei Colli 34, features over 200 sculptures of the baby Jesus in every scene and costume imaginable. (☎0365 29 31 05; www.il-bambino-gesu.com. Open June-Aug. Tu-Su 3-7pm, Nov.-Jan. Tu-Su 3-7pm. €5, children and over 65 €4.) Climbing stairs from Zanardelli past the Bank from P. Marconi leads to the Giardino Botanico (Botanical Gardens), an oasis of criss-crossing brooks and bridges built from 1910 to 1970, at the corner of V. Roma and V. Disciplina. Thickets of bamboo and altars overgrown with palms transport visitors into a Southeast Asian jungle. Admire 2000 varieties of plants and modern sculptures by Haring and Lichtenstein, but beware getting into a spitting contest between two sculpted heads. (☎336 41 08 77. Open daily 9am-7pm. €9.)
Southbound buses stop in front of Grand Hotel (off P. Wimmer), northbound in front of the newsstand. Speedier, more frequent service to major cities is available on the Milan-Verona train line. Take the bus to Desenzano; the bus stop is next to the train station. Take V. Repubblica on the left from the ferry dock for about 250m to reach the English-speaking tourist office, V. Repubblica 8, which lists area establishments and events as well as maps. (}/fax 0365 20 347; www.gardoneit.com. Open daily June-Sept. 9am-12:30pm and 3-6:30pm; Oct.-May 9am-12:30pm and 2:30-6pm.) For currency exchange and ATM, head to Banco di Brescia, V. Roma 6, across the street from the Grand Hotel on C. Zanardelli. (☎0365 20 081. Open M-F 8:25am-1:25pm and 2:40-3:40pm.) In case of emergency, dial the police (☎0365 20 179), located in Gardone Sopra (high village), where V. Carere leads away from V. Disciplina. A pharmacy, P. Wimmer 4, is located just past the travel agency. (☎0365 20 117. Open M-Sa 8:30am-12:30pm and 3:30-7:30pm.) The post office, V. Roma 8, is next door to the bank. (☎0365 20 862. Open M-F 8:30am-2pm, Sa 8:30am-12:30pm.) Postal Code: 25083.
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For 52 years, we have published the world’s favorite budget travel guides, written entirely by students and updated every year. With pen and notebook in hand and a few changes of underwear stuffed in our backpacks, we spend months roaming the globe in search of travel bargains.
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