The Day We Discovered Riva del Garda

Our first steps onto the shores of Riva del Garda feel like walking through an open door leading to paradise.

Palm trees sway in the Lake Garda breeze. Rugged mountains plunge toward the water. People sun themselves on the grass and sandy beaches. Boats bob in the harbor while windsurfers skim across the lake.

Fun, peace and tranquility reign.

There is a relaxed, almost carefree feeling here. Everyone seems to be enjoying this northern corner of Lake Garda, where the lake meets the mountains. The air feels cooler, windier and fresher than in any other village we visit along Italy’s largest lake.

We park and pay for an entire day at a waterfront marina near the beginning of the Riva del Garda promenade. From there, we simply start walking.

Every now and then, we stop and sit on a bench overlooking the seemingly endless expanse of water. Kids jump into the waves and boogie-board. Adults wade along the shoreline. Others, like us, simply admire the scene from the promenade.

The water looks inviting, but it is too cold for us to put our feet in.

After all, this is mountain territory.

Riva sits at the northern end of Lake Garda, where the mountains rise dramatically around the lake. It also happens to be one of the best places in Europe for wind and water sports.

The wind here is no accident. The northern end of Lake Garda has remarkably consistent winds.

From the promenade, we often see a colorful collage of sails bobbing and weaving far out on the horizon.

We walk the entire promenade, which eventually leads us through a compact shopping district filled with apartments, condominiums, hotels, boutiques, restaurants and cafés.

Then the narrow streets open into Riva del Garda’s main square, Piazza III Novembre.

It is a postcard come to life.

The square wraps around the old harbor, with colorful buildings, outdoor cafés and the imposing Torre Apponale rising 34 meters (111 ft.) above it. The tower dates to the 13th century and once served as a lookout and defensive structure for the city and harbor. A golden angel-shaped weather vane, known as the Anzolim de la Tor, sits on top and has become one of Riva’s most recognizable symbols.

The old harbor itself has centuries of history. During medieval times, goods ranging from wool and timber to livestock passed through here before continuing north. Today, the old trading stalls have given way to shops, bars and restaurants, making the square one of the town’s favorite places for an evening aperitivo.

Just beyond the piazza, we cross the road on the mountain side and board the panoramic glass-enclosed lift cabin to the Bastione.

The floor-to-ceiling windows give us an exhilarating view as we rise above the town.

With every few seconds of the ascent, Riva seems to shrink beneath us. Streets become ribbons. Houses and apartment buildings look like miniature models. The harbor becomes a patchwork of boats and docks, while the broad blue surface of Lake Garda stretches toward the mountains beyond.

The lift climbs about 130 meters in roughly three minutes. There is nowhere to hide from the view.

The higher we climb, the more spectacular the scene becomes.

At the top, the view is stunning.

With the sun behind us, the landscape in front of us lights up like an artist’s canvas.

We take a seat at the Bastione Lounge & Restaurant, the café and restaurant perched beside the historic fortress, with an outdoor terrace overlooking Riva and Lake Garda.

It is one of those places where you don’t feel any urgency to leave.

We nosh on a couple of sandwiches and sip limoncello spritzes while the mountains, lake and town spread out below us. We relax and let the peace and serenity of this place sink in.

But eventually, the traveler in us wins.

It is time to move.

And add a little challenge to the day.

Just beyond the restaurant stands the Bastione, a massive stone fortress built by the Republic of Venice in 1507 and 1508. The Venetians constructed it to guard the border between their territory and the nearby Episcopal Principality of Trent. Its elevated position above Riva gave soldiers an ideal vantage point over the town and lake.

The Bastione doesn’t look like a traditional castle. It feels more like a stone sentinel anchored to the mountainside.

The fortress later lost its military importance and suffered serious damage in 1703, when French troops under General Vendôme destroyed much of the structure. What remains today has been carefully restored, preserving the massive stone walls and the stark character of the old fortification.

The site is made for exploring, so we do exactly that.

We weave our way along gravel and dirt paths and into the fortress, imagining what it must have been like to stand here centuries ago as a soldier guarding the town below.

We poke our way through stone passageways and openings, peering through tiny lookouts toward the harbor.

Every turn reveals another view.

The wind whistles through the openings in the old stone walls. The higher we climb, the more the landscape opens up.

And then we reach the top. From here, we see a perspective of Riva del Garda and Lake Garda unlike anything we have seen before.

The town lies far below us. The lake stretches toward the horizon. The mountains rise on every side, creating a dramatic natural amphitheater around the water.

Standing among these ancient stones, it is easy to imagine the work that went into building and defending this place. Massive blocks of stone hauled up the mountainside and fitted together without the machinery or modern transportation we take for granted today.

The Bastione is more than a scenic overlook. It is a reminder that this beautiful landscape has always been strategically important, and that generations of soldiers once stood where we stand now, watching the same lake and mountains for a very different reason.

Our journey accomplished, we stop and stare in awe at Riva del Garda.

And that’s what makes it so unforgettable.