Riviera of Olives
East coast of Lake Garda
The history of the Olive Trees
of Lake Garda
Along the eastern shores of our amazing lake, the landscape offers an immersion in the shades of blue of the sky and water and green, sometimes bright, sometimes silver, given by the important presence of the olive tree cultivation.Known as the Riviera degli Ulivi, this area lives off an ancient tradition of olive growing dating back to the Bronze Age, strengthened in Roman times thanks to the introduction of new fruit harvesting systems and enhanced during the Middle Ages by the monks who lived there, who enriched the shores of the lake with olive groves and mills.
During the Renaissance, there were several human interventions on the landscape of the territory through the construction of “terraced” crops overlooking the lake waters, still visible and characteristic of the appearance of these lands.
Since 1900 extra virgin olive oil has become the real basis of the Mediterranean diet, for this reason the production of this precious condiment becomes more and more complex and widespread, until it reaches infinite varieties and flavors.
Tastings of
Oil DOP del Garda
A journey along the eastern coast road of Lake Garda is a real sensory experience, a story that brings to mind the ancient scents of the gardens:distant hints of artichoke and rosemary, green almond and young flowers, wild herbs, apple and delicate chamomile.
Now known for its value and recognized for its very high quality, today the DOP oil of Garda is one of the top five DOP olive growing realities in Italy, and is exported and awarded all over the world.
It is possible to taste and buy this product both directly in the many mills in the area that process the olives, and in the numerous shops and restaurants that can be found during a walk through the villages that populate the eastern shore of the pond.
Among these Torri del Benaco, which takes its name from its two Roman towers, the village of Garda, known for the suggestive and romantic gulf, Bardolino, a lively tourist center also famous for the production of its DOP wine, the medieval Lazise with its Scaligero castle and finally Peschiera del Garda, the southern end of the Riviera, home to a fascinating Fortress and appreciated for its historic center full of alleys and ramparts.
