Bardolino
Bardolino is a village in the province of Verona; it is located on the eastern shore of Lake Garda, which is also known as “Riviera degli Ulivi” and goes from Peschiera del Garda to Malcesine (the northernmost municipality of the Veneto shore).
Bardolino includes the hamlets of Calmasino and Cisano together with numerous districts and it is located within the extended Garda moraine valley. It is about thirty kilometers far from Verona and it borders with Lazise to the south and with Garda to the north.
Like the other villages on Lake Garda, Bardolino has a mild climate due to the lake and the close mountains, such as the Gruppo del Baldo mountain range located on the northern part of the Verona shore.
In the past Bardolino was a small town populated by fishermen; today it is one of the main tourist centres of Lake Garda.
It stands out because of the wonderful surrounding landscape and its variety of colours: the clear blue of the lake, the green of the hills with their olive trees and vineyards and the red of its sunsets.
It is particularly popular on summer, but visitors and tourists also come on autumn to enjoy its beautiful shapes and romantic atmosphere.
A fully equipped centre, with a variety of different accommodations: hotels, residences, bed & breakfasts and camp sites expanded across 240.000 square meters on the lake shore. In Bardolino tourism meets an excellent food and beverage tradition.The numerous catering businesses take advantage of local food and wines: Bardolino wine with all its versions, Olio Extravergine di Oliva and lake fish; the high quality is guaranteed by the strict control of the protection consortia.
Traditional recipes can be tasted by visiting restaurants, agritourisms but also pizza restaurants, pastry and ice cream shops.
Bardolino is a lively village full of nice central shops, pubs where visitors can have cocktails with a view on the lake, bars and discotheques open till late.
The village holds numerous events all year round, such as the “Festa dell’uva e del Vino Bardolino” in October, the “Palio del Chiaretto”, the enchanting Christmas markets of the “Dal sei al sei” festival, the interesting “Sagra dei osei” in Cisano and much more.
Enjoy the promenade around the centre and the picturesque lakefront that goes from Punta Mirabello to Punta Cornicello: two small strips of land expanding from the village to the lake.
There is also the opportunity to visit ancient churches, such as San Severo and San Zeno, and museums such as the Museo del Vino and Museo dell’Olio.
San Pietro Church
Bardolino is easily connected with numerous destinations through efficient means of transport: different kinds of boat allow to reach the other destinations on the lake, while buses connect the village with Verona, amusement parks and other destinations of the area’s surroundings.
Sport enthusiasts can join a lot of exciting activities: aquatic sports such as sailing, rowing and canoeing or even sail fishing; bike or walking excursions across the close mountains and their paths.
Take a look at the “sport” page to discover all the opportunities available!
Regata sul lago
Bardolino numbers
1
INHABITANTS
Population
1
MASL
Elevation
1
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Surface
1
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Distance from Verona
Hamlets
Bardolino includes two hamlets: Cisano on the lake and Calmasino in the hills. Both used to be separate municipalities.
Cisano stands out mainly because of the finding of some ruins of palafitte and other finds, as you can see through the History page. This area still tells us about the origins of the region through the numerous latest findings.
Cisano also holds the ancient pieve romanica di Santa Maria, a vault dedicated to San Giuliano whose traces were already known in 1915.
Pieve di Cisano
As for the hamlet traditions, every year Cisano holds the birds’ festival known in the local dialect as “Sagra dei osèi”. It is the oldest ornithological hunting festival of the Region. It historically takes place on the 8th of September, the day that celebrates the Nativity of Mary to whom the main church is dedicated.
A further monument related to this tradition was born in 2009: the Museo Sisàn, whose aim it to spread the knowledge of the ancient ornithological, hunting and fishing tradition of the region.
Cisano also holds the Museo dell’olio; it testifies to one of the oldest and most typical activities of the region, that is the olive oil production.
The museum preserves an exhibition of numerous instruments formerly used in the olive oil mills. It also allows visitors to discover how this prestigious olive oil is currently produced.
Panoramic view of Cisano
Calmasino di Bardolino
Calmasino was a fief belonging to the Canonici of the Verona cathedral. It is an ancient village surrounded by olive trees and vineyards about three kilometers away from Bardolino; it’s the perfect destination for visitors and tourists looking for a snug and peaceful place though not far from the lake.
Calmasino offers a different view of the lake: standing on the church porch visitors have a perfect view on the hills, Lake Garda and the peaks of Monte Baldo.
The most important festival of the hamlet is the “antica fiera di San Michele” which still today takes place at the end of September, during the harvest season. In the past it represented a great occasion to trade in baskets, pack baskets, vats and other harvest stuffs.
Panoramic view of Calmasino
Today instead the festival represents a greedy opportunity to taste local specialty food, such as the tripe and the “stracotto d’asino”, lake fish dishes and, of course, local wine.
But in order not to forget the past and its traditions the festival is accompanied by the old occupations show and the agricultural machinery parade through the village streets. The festival also livens up with shows, live music and markets.
The Piazza Principale holds the weekly “0km” food Market: every Saturday morning a lot of people both residents and visitors join it to buy high quality local food directly from the producers, including fruits, vegetables, ham, cheese and much more.