IN AND AROUND GARDA TRENTINO
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NAGO - TORBOLE
Nago-Torbole is the pearl of Garda Trentino because of its dual personality, Nago with the soul of the mountain and Torbole that of the lake, so that together they encapsulate all that is good about Alto Garda area. Here, history plays with the harmony of stunning scenery: an area with its past rooted in myth and legend and an eclectic present of outdoor sports in the woods, trails, wind and water.
Two towns once separate and distinct today fall under
the same municipal administration which in their origins found the common values which made unification possible. Nago is nestled on the hillside, the first real gateway onto Lake Garda. The Venetians knew it well
and after sailing up the River Adige as far as Mori, they then carried their war galleons as far as Nago and from there crossed the valley of Santa Lucia to Lake Garda. From the centre of Nago heading in the direction of CASTEL PENEDE you come to the VALLETTA DI S. LUCIA at the start of which there is a plaque commemorating this extraordinary undertaking which took place in 1439 and is known by the name “Galeas per Montes”. It is a joy to explore the rock and at the top you will find the ruins of a castle as well as excavations of an ancient village from before Roman times. The first news of the Medieval period dates back to 1210 when it was granted to the D’Arco family before passing under the dominion of the Castelbarco family and then back again to the D’Arco family who would remain in possession of it even under the rule of the Scaligeri and Visconti dynasties. In 1438 it fell under Venetian rule until it was won back at the turn of the 16th century by the imperial Habsburg army, a reconquest which would mark the beginning of a long, slow decline up to the present day when the current archaeological projects began. It is now closed to visitors until further notice.
Coming back to the medieval town you can admire part of the ANCIENT WALLS and the nearby church PIEVE DI SAN VIGILIO, first mentioned in 1230 when the apse and entrance were inverted compared with how they are laid out today. The church is worth
a visit to see the fine marble altars. Nearby you come to another church, CHIESA DELLA TRINITÀ, construction on which began on 18th May 1618 when the cornerstone was laid at the request of
the Tonelli family of Nago. The location chosen was within the hospice which at that time was run by the confraternity of the
Holy Trinity. In 1636 the new church was consecrated during a solemn ceremony by Carlo Emanuele Madruzzo, bishop prince
of Trento. From Nago you go down to Torbole, but not before
you visit the high fort, FORTE ALTO, a military outpost of the Austro-Hungarian Empire during the Great War.
Heading down on foot from via Europa you come to a first panoramic viewing point, the BELVEDERE. Further down, heading towards Torbole on via Pontalti, you come to steps on your left which lead to the church CHIESA DI SANT’ANDREA, another panoramic viewing point overlooking Lake Garda. You get down at lake level in no time, to the historic centre and PIAZZA GOETHE named in memory of the German poet who in September 1786 stayed
in the adjacent house of Martino Alberti. Goethe himself tells of his sojourn in Torbole, mentioning that it was here that he found the inspiration to start working again on Iphigenia which he had abandoned some time before. There are a commemorative plaque and a medallion above
the water FOUNTAIN of the Alberti house.
Behind it, passing through the portico, you catch sight of the OLD HARBOUR still used today by a few amateur fishermen who moor their boats beneath CASA DEL DAZIO. This was once the Austrian customs house, built in the 18th century, and today it is one of the most particular building along the lakefront in Torbole. From here the walk continues along the pedestrian path on the breakwater as far as the modern square PIAZZETTA HANS LIETZMANN with its spacious equilibrium, laid out around the tiny but stunning church CHIESA DI SANTA MARIA AL LAGO. The church was built in 1939 for the children of the nearby COLONIA PAVESE, once a summer camp for children but now a venue for exhibitions with offices and still a work in progress.
