Discovering the wonders of Isola Del Garda | Italy
Sipping on my glass of wine while looking out from the massive terrace, overlooking Lake Garda, I found myself wondering about the lives of the Nobel family who had once lived here. But I was in luck, today I was being toured Isola del Garda and its Villa by Alberta Cavazza herself, one of the seven descendants who has inherited this beautiful privatised property and the whole island.
The Cavazza siblings lost their father at a very young age and hence the island and villa represents their father. It is a special and unique place and hence they work in harmony to preserve their father’s memory and its history.
Isola del Garda is the largest island in Lake Garda in Italy. The island is rich in history as it has been lived by the Romans in fact over 130 gravestones were found, was once home to pirates, and was a site for the monastery of the Franciscans, served as a border fortification as well as residential home.
Designed by Luigi Rovelli, this villa was designed in harmony with nature. The front garden is based on a British garden and is still taken care of by English Mrs. Cavazza herself. The Villa is situated on 6 hectares of land. Its park is beautiful and serene and was once a place for the Cavazza’s carefree childhood adventurous. In fact the fairy house still stands there today.
Count Luigi Lechi bought the property in 1817 in which he made important structural alterations still evident today, including the beautiful port and boat house. The villa was confiscated by the military in 1860 when Lake Garda became a conflict zone between the Region of Italy and the Austrian Territories. But the military did not occupy the island for long with the end of the Third War of Independence and was sold at an auction. De Ferrari’s bought the villa and from then it was passed down 3 generations to the 7 Cavazza siblings who own it and inhabit it now.
The island was not always called Isola del Garda, it usually carried the name of the family who owned it. But since the families always had daughters who married and changed their surnames, the island carried quite a bit of names. From Isola Lechi to Isola De Ferrari, to Isola Borghese and now to Isla del Garda. Family Cavazza prefer using the Lake Garda name for commercial purposes.
Touring this island gives you a sense of history of the area. The tour not only takes you, across Lake Garda, to the magical park of the island and the beautiful dynamic villa which also displays original features from the 1800’s including the dining room and its table settings. But on the tour you also get to relax in the villa’s terrace for an apperitivo, where you also get to taste the Cavazza’s fresh olive oil.
Isola del Garda is by far one of the best things you can do while at Lake Garda. Boat tours leave various ports at the Lake and you can buy your tickets from http://www.tickets-tours.com/
