Lake Garda to Venice

Individual arrival in Riva del Garda, a palette of colours on Lake Garda. The blue of the water and the sky, the green of the Mediterranean plants and the white beaches are living works of art. Visit the Rocca, the old castle that can only be reached via a bridge, which now houses the City Museum and an art cabinet. The beautiful three-city gates, the baroque church Chiessa dell' Inviolata and the 34-meter-high tower Torre Apponale are not to be missed and provide a romantic atmosphere in the old town.

Your walk through the vineyards of the Sarca Valley begins in Ceniga. Soon you will be greeted by a huge rocky area, reminiscent of a stone desert, the Marocche Nature Reserve. An imposing mass of boulders of enormous dimensions gives you the feeling that you have walked into a lunar landscape. The Marocche were formed by landslides during the Ice Age.

Overlooking Lago di Cavedine, you will pass fruit and vegetable fields in the small town of Pietramurata, surrounded by the highest rock faces of the Garda mountains in the Sarca river valley.

A bus transfer will take you past the famous Castello di Toblino to the "Valley of the Lakes". You walk to Lake Terlago where the high-altitude trail of Saint Vigil begins. Abandoned forests and karst plateaus take you to ancient fortresses and strongholds. Enjoy the fantastic distant views of the Adige Valley and the Dolomites below before starting the descent to Trento.

Nestled between the imposing mountains of the Dolomites, this city of brightly painted houses and an impressive cultural and architectural heritage. Visit the old town centre with its winding streets, Piazza Duomo, a medieval square surrounded by frescoed palaces and a special church, the Cathedral Di San Viglio, and the Baroque Neptune fountain from 1768, the symbol of the city, the castle of Buonconsiglio.

A short train ride will take you to the romantic centre of Pergine, a typical traditional town from the Renaissance period. You can take a nice walk here, and be sure to walk through Via Maier, one of the most beautiful residential areas from the Renaissance, with various works of art.

You leave the town and walk through the hills with orchards and forest fruit growing via the historic Roman road Via Claudia Augusta. This path leads you up to two huge lakes, Lago di Caldonazzo and Lago di Levico, both of which are beautifully situated in the middle of the green mountain landscape of the Dolomites. Lake Caldonazzo and Lake Levico are among the warmest lakes in the Alps and are connected by underground caves. This is where the river Brenta rises. The idyllic path along the shore invites you to take a refreshing dip in the warmest mountain lake in Italy before arriving at the beautiful spa town of Levico Terme, wellness and elegance in enchanting scenery. The baths, a rare eighteenth-century Ville d'eau.

Today makes a beautiful high-altitude walk across the alpine meadows framed by high rock walls. Via the Sentiero Don Cesare hiking trail, you will be guided through waterfalls, rapids and rushing mountain streams. The trail winds through a wild and scenic environment and runs almost entirely on rock-cut slopes along the canyon. Via wooden bridges, you cross repeatedly from the right to the left bank of the Moggio stream. At the end of the Don Cesare trail, the "Arte e Sella" trail begins. An enchanting forest trail that takes in works by artists created using stones, leaves, branches, trunks and other materials found on site, an impressive open-air natural art exhibit.

At the Cipriani refuge, you can relax under the steep mountain peaks before you start the spectacular climb to Borgo Valsugana. This water town is located at the foot of Telvana Castle. The Brenta River runs right through the picturesque town and you will find the first Venetian bridges and arcades. Don't miss the shopping street Corso Ausugum with its baroque doors and various gourmet shops.

Today you will start with a climb to the Alta Via del Tabacco, a fantastic high-altitude path above the Brenta valley and ancient communication routes between the terraces where tobacco was grown from 1630 to 1960. The dry "masiere", built walls from the terraces are up to 8 meters high. Via the hermitage of San Bovo, you reach the valley again and you walk leisurely along the green river Brenta. Cross the famous Ponte Vecchio bridge to Bassano del Grappa, a town with a rich cultural and artistic heritage. This ancient city located at the foot of the Venetian Alps is known for its grappa, the oldest distilled drink, and the bridge Ponte degli Alpini, or Ponte Vecchio. You will find many handicrafts here, such as weavers, goldsmiths, potters and woodworkers.

Via wooden bridges and footbridges, you walk through the unique and impressive river landscape of the Sile nature park, the famous Munich-Venice cycle route eventually leads you to the destination Quarto d'Altino. You reach the lagoon area of ​​the UNESCO World Heritage Venice by train, you travel to your final destination Mestre, an urban district of Venice on the mainland, with excellent bus connections to the centre of the lagoon city. At the end of the trip, you can expect a small grappa tasting not far from St. Mark's Square!

Your walking holiday ends after breakfast, but you can of course postpone the farewell and discover Venice further and make more memories by extending your trip.