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Water Sports on Italy's Lake GardaDestination for Windsurfing, Sailing, Diving and Water SkiingLake Garda, near Verona in Northern Italy's Lakes region, is known for scenery, family vacations and water sports; it is one of Europe's prime windsurfing destinations.
Garda, the largest of the Italian lakes that lie between the Dolomite mountains and the Po Valley, is know to windsurfers all over the world. At the northern part of the lake, near Riva del Garda and Torbole, the steep surrounding mountains cause strong steady winds that are perfect for powering the sails that speed surfers across the water. But all over Lake Garda, water sports rule. Boat enthusiasts from all over southern Europe flock here in the summer for the lake’s good weather and its near-perfect conditions. The same predicable mountain winds that make Lake Garda’s northern waters so good for windsurfing make it equally good for sailing. On a nice say the entire northern lake is dotted with white sails moving across the deep blue of its waters Sailing on Lake Garda The most fashionable spot for sailing is the Circolo Vela Torbole (Via Lungolargo Verona, Torbole, Tel. 0464 505350, a sailing club that also has equipment and facilities for wind surfing and kitesurfing, as well as a beach. Close to it is Surf Segnana (Via Foci del Sarca, Torbole, Tel. 0464 505498) where lessons and rentals are available. Although Torbole is the lake’s water sports headquarters, it is certainly not the only place to find them. At Tredi Cuori Nautica (Via Imbarcadero 17, Casteletto del Brenzone, Tel 045 743 0805), just south of Malcesine, you can rent sailboats, and at the southern end of the lake Detour Surf e Snow (Via Bella Italia 35, Peschiera del Garda), in Peschiera, is filled with surfing equipment and information. Diving and Waterskiing In Monigo, between Desenzano del Garda and Salo on the southwest part of the lake, Sporting Club Porto Monigo (Tel 0365 50 23 64) has four boats for diving trips and boats for waterskiing. Sirmeone Boats, in Sirmeone on the southern end of the lake, has more than a dozen boats for waterskiing (Piazza Monte Baldo, Tel 0309 90 5235). Non-sailers who want to get the feel of skimming across the water under wind power can sign on for a day sail on the two-masted sailing ship Siora Veronica, which sails daily at 8:30amfrom the moat at the castle in Riva (Castello Scaligieri, Tel 0335 548 3030). Not so sporty, but good ways to see the stunning scenery and to get from place to place around the lake are the slow and scenic "steamers" and faster hydrofoils operated by Navigazione Lago di Garda (Tel: 0309 14 95 11) from June through mid-September.
The copyright of the article Water Sports on Italy's Lake Garda in Italy Travel is owned by Barbara Rogers. Permission to republish Water Sports on Italy's Lake Garda in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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