Lake Garda, the largest lake in Italy, is only 20km from Corte Spinosa. This basin of glacial water was created by Alto Adige glacier (from Garda to the Adige) when it melted 9-10 thousand years ago.

Many poets, writers and artists from all over Europe have been attracted to this area by the temperate Mediterranean climate which has favoured the cultivation of grapes and olives, the pretty villages which have grown along the banks of the lake and the morainic hills which perfectly frame the lake. Johann Wolfgang Goethe, to mention but one, was one of these who came to the lake in 1786.

The Eastern side of the lake known as the "Riviera of Olives" is dotted with castles built in medieval times by the Lords of Verona, (the Della Scala family). These can be found in the villages of Sirmione, Lazise, Torri del Benaco and Malcesine.

This route also comes across features from other historical time periods. In Sirmione there are the Catullo caverns (Grotte di Catullo) the remains of a roman villa which is said to have belonged to the famous poet of the 1st century A.C. The Romanesque churches of San Severo and San Zeno in Bardolino should not be missed as well as the villas at Punta San Virgilio near Garda which belonged to the Albertini, Carlotti-Canossa and Guarienti-Brenzoni families. At Torri del Benaco, the "Gardesana dell'Acqua" building may be admired. This body was founded by the Venetians in the 15th century and had jurisdiction over the land and benefited from particular privileges and wide autonomy. Lastly, the Palazzo del Capitano at Malcesine which was built in Venetian style site elegantly in the edge of the lake.