If we close our eyes and think of Malcesine the image we have is that of a small medieval village surrounded by beautiful nature: olive groves to the East, the majestic Mount Baldo to the West, the beaches of Lake Garda, lively and energetic in the front and a line of skillfully drawn mountains on the horizon.
In the middle there’s the small picturesque town of Malcesine, gathered around the Scaligero Castle and suspended between the water of the lake and the wooded land of the mountains.
The castle with its high tower dominates the village on a rocky promontory. Over the years great artists captured the essence and charm of these places: Gustav Klimt, a Viennese painter of the Art Noveau movement painted Malcesine and Cassone and Goethe talks about these territories in his book Italian Journey (some of his drawings can still be seen in the Castle Museum).
The old town centre is an up and down of narrow, winding, cobblestone paths overlooked by several small shops, bars and restaurants. It’s a sequence of glimpses of ancient houses, small alleys and natural landscapes that surround the village.
Walking towards the lake, the port, the old harbor and the Palazzo dei Capitani are all worth a visit.
Near the town centre the Malcesine/Monte Baldo Cable Car takes tourists to TrattoSpino (1780 m.) on Mount Baldo top. Sport enthusiasts can follow the first marked trails directly from the village.
The Fraglia Vela Malcesine is a flagship of this town, a renowned sailing club that every year organizes national and international regattas and European and World Championships. This club is a fixed stop for the Olympic training of the world’s most talented sailors and a seat of the National Paralympic team.
Malcesine, like many other towns of the lake, evokes past-time emotions with a slowed-down atmosphere that soothes the frenzy of all those who arrive in the village: the feeling is that of “being on holiday” even if you’re just passing by and the most romantic travelers can close their eyes and still hear the hooves of horses that draw carriages along the old town alleys.
