The longest lakeside promenade on Lake Garda
In a deep bay on the western shore of Lake Garda, Salò is an elegant town with a long tradition of trade and culture. In the sixteenth century it was the capital of the Magnifica Patria, the federation of the communities of the Riviera under Venice, and its name became sadly famous in the Second World War as the seat of some ministries of Mussolini's Italian Social Republic, known as the "Republic of Salò".
Today Salò is above all a pleasant lakeside town, with the longest promenade on Lake Garda, about a kilometre and a half of elegant walkway lined with palaces, cafés, palm trees and boats. Behind it, the historic centre has arcaded streets, shops and the late Gothic cathedral of Santa Maria Annunziata, with a Renaissance portal and works by Romanino and Moretto. The MuSa museum tells the history of the town, including the musical instrument makers: Gasparo da Salò, born here, is considered one of the inventors of the violin.
Tip: Salò is a good base for visiting the western shore of the lake, the Vittoriale and the Isola del Garda, the largest island on the lake, with a neo-Gothic villa.
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