Limone sul Garda: Lemon houses below the cliffs

Limone sits on a ledge at the north-west corner of Lake Garda, where the mountains drop almost straight into the water. For centuries the village grew lemons in stone-pillared terraces called limonaie, and some of them still stand above the rooftops. Today it is a small, pretty lakeside town with a tiny harbour and painted houses. It gets busy by day and is lovely in the evening, when the ferries stop and the lanes empty out.

Getting There and Around

• There is no train; the nearest stations are Rovereto, with buses on to Riva del Garda, or Desenzano and Peschiera at the south of the lake
• Buses run along the western shore road from Riva, through a string of tunnels cut into the cliffs
• Ferries are the best way to arrive and to get around, linking Limone with Riva, Malcesine and the towns further south
• The town itself is small and walkable, but steep once you leave the waterfront

The Harbour and the Old Town

• The old harbour is the heart of the village, ringed with red, pink and yellow houses and full of little wooden boats
• Walk the lakefront promenade south past the hotels for the view back to the church tower
• The Limonaia del Castèl is a restored lemon house where you can see how the terraces worked
• The lanes climbing up from the harbour are full of shops selling lemon-everything, from soap to limoncello

On the Water and Above It

• The cycle path north of town is bolted onto the side of the cliff, high above the lake, and is spectacular on foot or by bike
• Take the ferry across to Malcesine and ride the cable car up Monte Baldo for views down the whole length of the lake
• Riva del Garda, at the top of the lake, is a short ferry ride away and has the best of the windsurfing and sailing
• The water is cold until summer but very clear, and there are small pebbly beaches either side of town

Where to Stay and Eat

• Many hotels sit above the town or along the lake to the south, and plenty have pools facing the mountains
• Lake fish and lemon dishes are the local speciality; try anything made with the town's own olive oil
• A coffee on a terrace above the water first thing in the morning, before the day-trippers arrive, is the best moment of the day
• Limone is quiet at night, so come for the views and the walks, not the nightlife

Limone is the best base for the northern end of Lake Garda. Use the ferries to see the other towns by day, and come back for the evening when it is quiet again.