Eugi Gufo's siteEugi Gufo

Gardone Riviera (in the province of Brescia) is located on Lake Garda and is a rather beautiful town. Unfortunately, I did not have time to study it properly, so I will only show you a few small details.
The architecture is varied in terms of styles and periods, and there are truly many interesting buildings.

Benches made of wood and metal of this type are very common:

The most widespread litter bins are not particularly original; in fact, we can see them in many other Italian cities.

It is usually very difficult to find a beautiful road sign in Italy: everywhere one sees identical standard signs used all over the world. In Gardone, fortunately, I came across this beauty:

At this point I should explain myself: I devoted little time to the town because the main objective of my visit was the «Vittoriale degli Italiani», that is, the residence of Gabriele d’Annunzio.

Access to the entire Vittoriale is granted with a single ticket, which is quite expensive.

Once inside, the first thing to see is the exhibition «d’Annunzio segreto»: a collection of some of the poet’s personal objects. For example, some of his handwritten notes.

Or shoes and clothes.

After visiting this small exhibition, one can decide whether to see the house or the garden first. Only 12 people are allowed into the house at a time, so there is almost always a long queue. Moreover, photography is not permitted inside. So you will have to make do with my reassurance: d’Annunzio’s house is very interesting.
And now let us look at the garden. Shortly before my visit, admirers of d’Annunzio brought a stone from the Himalayas.

In 2004, near the amphitheatre, a blue horse was installed (a resin work by Mimmo Paladino).

The amphitheatre itself has good acoustics: one could clearly hear all the swearing of the workers who were assembling a stage.

Numerous double marble benches are scattered throughout the garden:

Across the entire (rather extensive) garden area one encounters original works of art in their composition.

The garden is, in a way, divided into two parts: the «upper» one (with various symbolic areas) and the one descending towards the lake. One of the most interesting elements of the «upper» part is the Arengo: the place where d’Annunzio used to meet with the Fiume legionaries.

The part of the garden that descends towards the lake consists of small horizontal gardens connected, in most cases, by small stairways.

Symbolism is widespread on this side as well.

Halfway along the route we find the cemetery of d’Annunzio’s beloved dogs. There are three tombstones (I managed to read only the names Zan Zan and Krissa) and a sign reading «Here lie my dogs».

But in general it can be said that the garden is very «militarised». Here, for example, is a First World War cannon (whoever placed it under an arch was certainly not a great military strategist).

On a slope, the bow section of the military ship «Puglia» has been installed, received by d’Annunzio as a gift from the Navy.

I was unable to discover the fate of the stern section. But I am sure it has not been buried underground. At the point where the ship meets the hillside, we see elements of the ship reconstructed in stone.

In any case, the ship has been preserved in its original state. The two guns, for example, are real (even though they are plugged).

On the bow, only a few small elements have been removed (for example, some parts of the winch).

The bridge, one of the most interesting parts, was unfortunately closed. And while I was climbing around, people were looking at me strangely…

Well, then in the garden, on a rise, there is also the mausoleum of d’Annunzio and his closest friends. The small towers you see are the tombs, but some of them are empty (despite being marked with the names of their «owners»).

D’Annunzio’s famous aeroplane was difficult to photograph because it is placed in an environment that is too dark. The military boat MAS 96, on the other hand, posed nicely.

All in all, the Vittoriale is an interesting and beautiful place. If it had not started raining, I would have explored (and photographed) it more. You should go there too when you have the time.