Holidays in Gardone Rivera at Lake Garda, Italy

Giardino Botanico Hruska
Originally this botanical garden was just one of the many wonderful parks in the area, but ever since Austrian media artist André Heller bought it at the end of the 1980s it has become something much greater: trick fountains suddenly shoot up between giant trees, and in many a hidden spot you’ll find yourself stumbling across a modern sculpture by Keith Haring or Mimmo Paladino.

Vittoriale degli italiani
A curious collection of buildings. This is where Gabriele D’Annunzio (1863-1938) built his last house in 1921. He was to live in it for the rest of his life. Constantly in debt, he decided to bequeath the complex to the state as a national monument. You can visit the bow of the warship Puglia, D’Annunzio’s car and an aeroplane from which the poet dropped leaflets over Vienna during the First World War. The park features an open-air theatre where a somewhat bombastic play by the author is performed in summer. Since 1963 the mortal remains of the poet have lain at rest in the largest of the sarcophagi within the fascistic mausoleum situated at the top of the park. So no surprise there, then. Visitors can stroll around the Vittoriale Park to their heart’s content but can enter the residence on a guided tour. The war museum which has recently been opened in the rooms of residence incorporates some of the repository that is intended to remind the visitor of D’Annunzio’s attitude towards war.