Lake Garda: The town castle of Riva del Garda after sunset by Thomas Bugdoll

The lively fashionable resort of Riva del Garda is surrounded by mighty mountains on the narrow northern tip of Lake Garda.

With a population of around 13,000, it is the second largest town on the lake after Desenzano. It has only belonged to Italy since 1919 and before that was under Austrian rule for a long time. This can still be felt and leads to a pleasant mixture of Italian ease and Tyrolean down-to-earthness.

The very old fortress of Riva del Garda, the Rocca di Riva, despite its many changes, still retains an austere yet elegant appearance. The stone or mortar walls, the four corner towers, the small entrance bridge over the canal that reflects the gardens and trees of the Brolio characterize the fortress.

The thorough restoration of recent years has brought back to light some ancient structures and created space for the Civic Museum, where important testimonies of local history, art and culture are kept.