Information about the area:
A short distance from the house (5 minutes by car and 15 minutes on foot) you come to the town of Toscolano. It has many family-run shops, bars, supermarkets, banks, a post office, a petrol station, a police station, well-equipped private beaches and small restaurants (trattorie). There is a market on Thursday mornings and there are also boats and ferries to the next town, Maderno. There are sailing and windsurfing schools both in Toscolano and its neighbouring towns and 5 km north there is an 18 hole golf course. You can catch local varieties of fish directly from the garden of the house which are wonderful fried and grilled on an open fire. The local fish man sells his fresh fish caught on the lake every morning from 6-7 am, as well as other local produce such as freshly laid eggs and great local wine from his family's vineyard. It's often possible to hire a small boat (with or without a boatman) for a swim out in the lake and to moor a small boat on request.
ON FOOT:
Lake Garda offers to hikers (and mountain bike enthusiasts) a wide range of paths and trails through rolling hills and olive groves which lead up from the coast. From the old part of Toscolano following a path which leaves right from the house and ( only 20 minutes on foot) takes you through lovely countryside to the village of Pulciano and quaint church of Supina, the golf course and then down to the lake side town of Bogliaco, avoiding the busy main road. For mountain trail lovers, just a short car ride away you can find the tall mountains which surround the lake on the northern side and make up part of the Garda National Park. This park is rich with historic nature trails which are well documented and translated into several languages all available from the tourist information centres. (in Maderno, next to the ferry stop for Torri).
BY BOAT:
From the neighbouring harbour town of Maderno there are daily boats leaving both for the southern part of the lake (Gardone, Salo', Desenzano, Peschiera and Garda) and for the northern part (Gargnano, Limone, Riva and Malcesine). Sunday boat trips and holiday trips of varying length are organized in the summer season, with music and food on board. A car ferry makes regular crossings from the port of Maderno to the town of Torri on the Veronese side of the lake (eastern Gardesana) from here the roads and paths leave for the climb to the great Mount Baldo, this breathraking mountain rich in flora and fauna is a must for all nature lovers. The mountain summit can be reached by cable car from the town of Malcesine.
