Over the Lake Garda and the Padana Valley: Mount Baldo is a true mountain
With its imposing grandeur, steep slopes and ridges, Mount Baldo indicates the first decisive emergence of the Alps.
Mount Baldo is steep, wild, rugged, it is a true mountain which rises to the Valdritta summit, at 2,218 metres of altitude. With its 38 kilometers in length and seven in width it is a magnificent massif.
At its foot, on the western side, Mount Baldo touches Lake Garda, creating an unmistakable element, an almost magical contact between the Mediterranean and the Alpine world; on the eastern side, the Val d’Adige surrounds it.
Known since ancient times for being extraordinarily rich in nature, it is still today called Hortus Europae – Botanical Garden of Europe. For orchid lovers, Spring is the best time to visit: on Mount Baldo, experts have catalogued as many as 62 different species, while in the whole of Italy, there are a total of 200.
Mount Baldo’s territory is extremely rich in vegetation: from the olive groves of the lake area, to the boschi di castagni, oak and ash woods in the range between 500 and 600 metres above sea level, to beech and pine forests above 1,000 metres, up to the mountain peaks and Alpine stars in the highest areas.
From Mount Baldo you can also enjoy wonderful views of Lake Garda: there is an incomparable view which goes from Sirmione to Toscolano-Maderno, from Mount Pizzocolo to Gardone Riviera and Gargnano, from the small village of Campione del Garda up to Limone and Riva, and on the clearest days, on the horizon, you can even glimpse the Apennines.
Mount Baldo is an ideal destination for hikers, and thanks to the funivia di Malcesine cableway, even the less athletic have the chance to reach its peaks in just a few minutes (there is also the possibility of taking your own mountain bike for a breathtaking descent).
On Mount Baldo, nature’s enchantment joins the beauty of its artistic, cultural and enogastronomic heritage, all of which are elements that can be discovered in the villages scattered on its slopes. Perhaps one of the most spectacular, linked to the religious tradition, is the Santuario della Madonna della Corona (finished in 1625), wedged between rocky walls exposed towards the Valdadige, it is reachable by a long, stone carved staircase which begins in the small village of Brentino Belluno, or more easily from the village of Spiazzi.
