Malcesine
Member of I Borghi più belli d'Italia
Between the upper reaches of Lake Garda and the steep slopes of Monte Baldo, Malcesine gathers its medieval lanes beneath the Castello Scaligero, raised on a rock by the lake. Goethe was questioned as a suspected spy here in 1786 after sketching it. Down by the harbour stands the Venetian Palazzo dei Capitani, and a cable car with rotating cabins climbs Monte Baldo.
Highlights
- Castello Scaligero, with museums of Lake Garda, Monte Baldo and Goethe
- Palazzo dei Capitani, seat of Venice's Captain of the Lake
- Cable car with rotating cabins to 1,750 metres on Monte Baldo
- The Aril at Cassone, about 175 metres long, among the world's shortest rivers
- Summer concerts at the Teatro Lacaor, a natural arena below the castle
Text adapted from Wikipedia (Malcesine (IT), Malcesine (EN)), Wikivoyage (Malcesine). Available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Population: 3,603
Things to see
Events through the year
- TriduoPrayers for souls in purgatory amid hundreds of candles, with Perosi's Miserere
- Summer concerts at Teatro LacaorConcerts in a natural arena below the Scaliger castle, plus art shows
- Feast of Saints Benigno and Caro and Saint AnneProcession for the co-patrons, beach party at Paina, fireworks over the castle
- Feast of Saint Stephen
Dates follow the traditional patterns in our sources: check locally before you travel.
Adapted from Wikipedia (Malcesine). Available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Local food & wine
- Polenta carboneraDishHearty polenta using cheese leftovers, made with olive oil here
- Olive oil of MalcesineOlive oilOlives grown here for many centuries
Adapted from Wikipedia (Malcesine). Available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where to sleep
82 places to stay within 3 km
- Hotels 62
- B&Bs and guest houses 11
- Campsites 9
Data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
Thermal baths nearby
- Thermal spa: Terme di Comano (IT) · ~52 min by car
- Thermal spa: Aquardens · ~1 h 06 by car
- Thermal spa: Terme della Valpolicella · ~1 h 07 by car
- Thermal spa: Terme di Sirmione Virgilio · ~1 h 17 by car
- Thermal spa: Aquaria · ~1 h 24 by car
- Thermal spa: Terme di Vallio · ~1 h 39 by car
Data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
Nearby member villages
- Tremosine · 4.6 km
- Limone sul Garda · 6.1 km
- Canale · 18 km
- Bondone · 21 km
- Gardone Riviera · 25 km