Experience the best of Toscolano-Maderno

Toscolano-Maderno spreads along the western shore of Lake Garda in the province of Brescia, where the Toscolano river reaches the water across a small delta. The two old villages, Toscolano and Maderno, have merged into one lakeside town with a promenade and pebble beaches, and the Romanesque church of Sant'Andrea stands in the old centre of Maderno.

A road follows the Toscolano river into the Valle delle Cartiere, a wooded gorge whose ruined paper mills made paper for centuries, with a museum of paper set in one of the old buildings. Car ferries cross the lake to Torri del Benaco on the opposite shore. The lemon-house terraces of Gargnano lie to the north along the coast road, and Salò to the south.

The lake's olive oil is mild and fruity, and menus use lake fish such as trout, lavarello and carpione alongside risotto, polenta and cured meats. The mountain wall behind the town and the warmth held by the lake explain why olives and lemon trees grow so far north. The shore is busiest between Easter and September, and quiet in winter.