Brenzone sul Garda is a less crowded destination compared to other more well-known places on Lake Garda, but this does not mean that it is less beautiful. Indeed, here you can enjoy all the Garda atmosphere combined with the true tranquility and authenticity that the area offers. Personally I consider it a privilege, authenticity these days is a precious commodity.
I also live here, so I’m writing it right away: don’t hesitate to ask for information, it will be a pleasure to give you some advice!
In the meantime, some brief educational information: Brenzone sul Garda is a municipality on Lake Garda in the Veneto region made up of 16 small towns and many hamlets of just a few houses but with their own specific name (often traced back to that of the inhabitants’ surname combined with the prefix Cà, i.e. home). It extends over an area of approximately 50 km², with an altitude of 69 m above sea level. L. m. up to 2,200 m of Monte Baldo.
In fact it does not have a center or a periphery, in fact it is defined as a “scattered municipality”. The municipality is located in the town of Magugnano. The main inhabited centers are (in decreasing order of population): Castelletto, Magugnano, Marniga, Sommavilla, Porto, Castello.
What to do in Brenzone sul Garda
Beaches
Along the entire Brenzo coastline there are many free beaches with attached paid and unpaid municipal car parks. The water is crystal clear and suitable for swimming from May to October.
If you want to go to an equipped beach as well as take advantage of those of the beautiful hotels on site, you can click here.
Sport
In Brenzone sul Garda you have free reign to practice many sports: from sailing courses, windsurfing, diving, kitesurfing, water skiing to SUP and kayak courses. There is no shortage of sites for beachvolley (click here) and tennis (click here).
A nice walk or bike ride along the cycle/pedestrian path that crosses the entire lakeside of Brenzone until arriving in Malcesine is a must.
You can rent some E-mountainbikes and enjoy discovering the area, perhaps with the help of an expert guide who will choose with you the route best suited to your tastes and level of training. Discover all the experiences here!
Punta Veleno, the challenge for cyclists
For expert cyclists, we recommend the famous Punta Veleno, the hardest and most steep climb for bikes and mountain bikes on the entire Lake Garda. It was named this way in the Seventies by the patron of the Giro d’Italia Vincenzo Torriani for precisely this reason: 20 hairpin bends, 1000 meters of altitude difference over 10 kilometers of length. From kilometer 2 to kilometer 8 the climb has an average gradient of 14.6% with peaks approaching 20%. Getting to the top is like a true champion!
Simple walk along the last stretch of Punta Veleno
From San Zeno di Montagna (VR) go up to Prada and park at the end of the road near the sign indicating “Punta Veleno”.
From there a nice walk starts on an asphalt road at around 1200 m.
You can reach the paths that lead to Punta Telegrafo and the Ferrata delle Taccole, or simply enjoy the walk in the woods.
When the descent begins, go back. Along the road you will find splendid corners equipped with benches and picnic tables immersed in the quiet and panoramic views.
In winter this stretch is often covered in snow. The road is cleaned up to the parking lot, so it is passable in all seasons.
Culture
The most beautiful and ancient churches
All the towns in the Brenzone sul Garda area have churches rich in art and beauty, such as San Zen de l’Oselet in Castelletto, which seems to be the oldest; the Church of San Nicola in Assenza which was built around the 11th-12th centuries, the church of San Pietro in Vincoli in the beautiful medieval village of Campo with frescoes dating back to 1300 and finally the Church of Sant’Antonio Abate in the hamlet of Biaza, also it with frescoes dating back to the end of the fourteenth century.
Campo di Brenzone
If you really want to immerse yourself in a little piece of the history of Lake Garda, which will make you feel under your skin the exact sensation of how people lived here in the past, you must visit the ancient village of Campo, whose origins are documented since the year 1023. Click here for all the info on how to get there and to find out the easiest route to reach it.
Trimelone Island
Opposite Assenza di Brenzone stands the small Island of Trimelone, which during the First and Second World Wars was used as a military depot.
Today this island is an environmental oasis, in which poplars, oleanders, seneci, elderberries, brambles have been classified and numerous seagulls and cormorants find refuge there, nesting here in an oasis of quiet, undisturbed.
Some military buildings are still clearly visible: the barracks, the fort and a small port now dismantled.
There is a ban on disembarking, docking, fishing and approaching given the danger of the site, where a significant quantity of war material still remains stored.
The best way to admire the uniqueness and beauty of Trimelone is by water (sailing boat, motorboat, SUP, canoe); you can get close enough to observe the spectacle of this wild and mysterious island. Discover all the islands of Lake Garda here.
Ethnographic Museum
The Museum is set up in the center of Castelletto di Brenzone, in the birthplace of the Holy Mother Maria Domenica Mantovani (1862-1924), co-founder with the Blessed Giuseppe Nascimbeni of the “Little Sisters of the Holy Family” Institute.
The building represents an interesting testimony to the architecture of the coastal area of upper Lake Garda. Its interior, furnished with furnishings from the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century, reproduces a typical house of the time, and preserves tools and equipment from the typical activities of the place: fishing, olive growing, sheep farming, sericulture. Info: Iat Brenzone tel: +39 0457420076 mail: info@brenzone.it
Trekking in Brenzone sul Garda
There are many trekking routes that unravel along the old mule tracks among olive groves and woods and that start from each hamlet to discover the area.
Prada – Costabella cable car
The southern summit of Baldo is now easily reachable thanks to the Prada – Costabella lifts, completely renovated and put into operation in August 2022: the Prada two-seater basket lift (1,000 m above sea level) – Ortigaretta (1,550 m above sea level) and the Ortigaretta two-seater chairlift – Costabella (1,850 m above sea level).
From the arrival station of the chairlift numerous trekking trips depart which lead to mountain huts and refuges, the closest are the Rifugio Fiori del Baldo and the Rifugio Chierego. For all the info click here.
Trekking to Balòt tacà via
“Balòt tacà via” means “large hanging boulder” in Venetian dialect. And this is precisely what the trekking route will take you to see: an enormous rounded boulder which, falling from the mountain, remained stuck and suspended between the narrow rocky walls of the gorge that has hosted it since time immemorial. For all the information on the route click here.
Popular festivals and events in Brenzone sul Garda
Many sporting events in Brenzone are linked to the nautical sector with the International Sailing Regattas.
Instead, the most well-known religious holiday is the spectacular living Via Crucis which on Good Friday runs along the path from Castelletto to Biaza.
The traditional popular festivals concern the patron saint of the respective village: 11 July in Castello, 16 August in Marniga, 20 January in Magugnano.
Original but with ancient roots is the Santa Caterina Fair on November 25th in Castelletto, linked to the traditional livestock market on the occasion of the return from the mountain pastures of Monte Baldo.
Teatro degli Ulivi (Olive Theater)
In Campo di Brenzone there is the Teatro degli Ulivi, which organizes many events, among which the most famous and evocative is the party which takes place on the nights of the shooting stars of San Lorenzo entitled “Magic Nights in Campo”, in which evenings are organised moonlight jazz with famous artists.
To keep an eye on all the wonderful events they organize, click here.
How to get to Brenzone sul Garda
Car.
From the North: A22 Brennero motorway, exit Rovereto Sud, take the SS240 to Mori and then the SR249 which runs along the lake in a southerly direction. In high season we recommend instead taking the Affi exit, following the SP9 to San Zeno di Montagna and from there descending directly to Castelletto di Brenzone on the lake shore.
From the West and the South: A4 motorway, exit Peschiera, take the SR249 northwards along the lake.
Train.
The closest train station to Brenzone is the Peschiera station on the Milan-Venice line, then continue by bus.
Airplane.
The closest airports are that of Verona, the Valerio Catullo in Villafranca, and that of Bergamo in Orio al Serio.
Ferry.
Only the ferry for bikes and pedestrians arrives in Brenzone which stops at Castelletto di Brenzone. The ferries that also transport cars stop in Torri del Benaco or Malcesine, which is the first, the town to the south of Brenzone, and the second, the town to the north. For timetables, fares and routes click here.
Bicycle.
From Brenzone sul Garda there is a cycle/pedestrian path along the lake, along which you can discover this beautiful area. For more information click here.
Brenzone sul Garda weather forecast.
The climate is mild during the winter and warm and windy in the summer. Here the temperatures are influenced by the waters of the lake, which never make them unbearable due to cold or sultriness. The vegetation, typical of the Mediterranean scrub, varies from olive trees, cypresses and oleanders on the lake shore; while in the hinterland there are cedar and chestnut woods and again, on the slopes of Monte Baldo, the vegetation is made up of larches, pines and firs. Arriving at high altitude, obviously in winter there is no shortage of snow in the mountain hamlets such as Prada Alta.
Restaurants in Brenzone sul Garda.
The small port towns are known for their traditional local cuisine where you can also taste lake fish and many other specialties. To find out where to eat in Brenzone sul Garda click here.
Hotels in Brenzone sul Garda.
Here too the choice is rich and colorful. To find out where to sleep in Brenzone sul Garda click here.
It doesn’t matter if you are looking for relaxation, adventure or simply the joy of living, Brenzone sul Garda is the ideal place to find everything you want in a single and fascinating destination.
Happy discovery dear Outdoors!
Silvia Turazza – Garda Outdoors editorial team
