Nestled between the Brescian shores of Lake Garda and the hills behind, the Vittoriale is unique and stunning: a complex of buildings, gardens, streets, squares, theaters, and waterways.
A kind of Wonderland, where nothing is left to chance and symbolism dominates every detail.
Commissioned by the writer and poet Gabriele D’Annunzio, it came to life between 1921 and 1938 from a villa that belonged to a German doctor.
Already from the majestic entrance you can understand the emphatic, Baroque style that dominates it: one path leads uphill to the Priory, the poet’s house-museum, and further up to the military ship Puglia (yes, you got it right, a real ship!) and the Mausoleum where he is buried.
The other path, on the other hand, leads to the gardens, the Arengo and the lemon house by the lake.
But many more are the amazing treasures enclosed in the treasure chest of Il Vittoriale: get lost in this enchanted place!
Vittoriale today is a foundation open to the public and visited annually by about 210,000 people.
Spectacular in every part, it also houses an amphitheater inspired by classical ones, which each year is home to events and cultural initiatives of international scope.
Entering the Schifamondo, which was to have been D’Annunzio’s new home, you will find yourself as if in an ocean liner: the studio is reminiscent of a ship’s bridge, while under the dome of the auditorium you will see hanging the Ansaldo plane with which the poet flew over Vienna!
Near the Mausoleum, on the other hand, is a hangar where the motorboat MAS 96, aboard which d’Annunzio participated in the Beffa di Buccari, a daring military raid in waters ruled by the Austro-Hungarian kingdom, is housed.
In the beautiful gardens, you can admire the two streams with the evocative names of Acquapazza and Acquasavia that join together in a violin-shaped pond; as you descend the terraces sloping toward the lake you will then reach the lush orchard.