Malcesine and Monte Baldo

Malcesine is one of the prettiest towns on the eastern shore, a tumble of stone houses and lanes dropping to a small harbour beneath a castle on a rocky spur. The Scaliger Castle, restored and open to visitors, was admired by the German writer Goethe, who stopped to sketch it in 1786 and was briefly suspected of being a spy. Today it houses a museum of natural history and local history, and its tower gives a view over the water and the red roofs. Above the town rises Monte Baldo, a long ridge sometimes called the garden of Europe for its range of plants. A cable car with rotating cabins climbs from the edge of Malcesine to a high station in about ten minutes, rising through changing landscapes to a viewpoint where the whole lake lies below. At the top there are walking paths of various lengths, a restaurant and, in season, paragliding launches and mountain bike trails, so the ride is the start of a half-day or full-day adventure.

The weather at the top can be quite different from the lake, with cooler temperatures and sudden cloud, so carry a jacket and check the live conditions before you go. The service can pause for maintenance or strong wind, so check the schedule on the operator website.

For those who like to plan, a typical day might begin with an early cable car ride, a walk along the ridge and lunch at the top, followed by an afternoon in Malcesine. In summer, paragliders launch from the slopes and drift over the lake, which gives the mountain a lively, adventurous feel, and the views from the terrace are even better with them in the sky.

In spring the slopes are covered with wildflowers, which earned Monte Baldo its nickname. Keep in mind that the cable car may be crowded at peak times, so an early or late ride makes the experience more pleasant and gives you a better chance of photographs without crowds.