Are you looking for a spectacular and unique view of Lake Garda? You can find it in Tremosine, a town on the Brescia side overlooking the Garda waters, considered one of the most beautiful villages in Italy. The whole town, in reality, is a kind of natural terrace overlooking the lake, set in the rock of a plateau, with a landscape that excites at first glance.
But not only the natural view attracts lovers of the breathtaking landscape; there is a particular Terrazza del Brivido in Tremosine, famous for several reasons …
The view from the terrace
It is one of the most famous viewpoints on Lake Garda, a “precipice” architectural structure considered an essential stop for those traveling in the Benaco area.
You can find it above the village of Pieve, the highest and most evocative fraction of Tremosine for its views, and it looks like a concrete platform suspended over 350 meters high! Surrounded by an iron railing, the platform juts out beyond the promontory on which it was built, and allows you to admire the Garda almost suspended in the air.
It is located at the same height as a famous panoramic terrace in the States, the Grand Canyon Skywalk, equally suspended in the void, but only recently built (2007).
If you don’t suffer from vertigo, you can try to access the Terrazza del Brivido (given the altitude it certainly flows behind your back at the first view), and admire the Garda in all its splendor. You will also see the scenery of the Val di Brasa canyon, the hairpin bends of the Strada della Forra, and the village of Campione – if the weather is good also Monte Baldo that stands out between the sky and the lake. Surely one of the most romantic views ever, and spectacular for those who want to look at Lake Garda from a new perspective.
The scene that the gaze embraces from the Terrazza del Brivido is unique, between clouds, mountains, waters and greenery – on days when the sky is clearer, it is possible to see the Prealps, the Veronese shore of Garda and even the Sirmione peninsula.
A vision that lately, with the advent of social media, has been increasingly successful: who wouldn’t want to take a selfie on the Terrazza del Brivido, and show everyone the scenography of their shot?
Images to be framed as testimony of the beauties of Lake Garda, of one’s courage to face a “thrill” of acrophobia, or of one’s journey in an almost essential stage for those arriving on Garda. The plunge into the void of the platform pushes thousands of people to visit it every year, and for the more fearful there are the trees below, to create a sort of natural protection from the sight of the void.
And for those who fear the cold or the sun, it is good to know that thanks to the lake, the climate of Tremosine is mild in winter and never sultry in summer: a gentle breeze can blow to cool your face while you enjoy the show.
How to visit the Terrazza del Brivido: my tips
Built in the fifties, today it is located inside the Hotel Paradiso, which allows the public to visit it (it’s mandatory to have a drink at the Bar in this period where entry is staggered due to compulsory “social distancing”) and enjoy the view. Often it looks like an “unobtainable” terrace but following the hotel directions it can be easily reached.
You must therefore arrive at the village of Pieve di Tremosine sul Garda via the road from the town, and then once you reach the hotel, you must cross the hall with the reception. From there you have free access to the Terrazza del Brivido, often visited at sunset – one of the best moments.
In the lobby there is a restaurant and an aperitif bar, where you can stop to eat or sip something with this unique scenery in front – without having to suffer from vertigo on the highest overhanging terrace, here the terrace-bar still reserves you an exceptional backdrop.
In the village of Pieve di Tremosine you can also visit the ancient parish church which probably dates back to the seventh century but was rebuilt in the twelfth and then again in the sixteenth century. Today the architecture is based on the alterations from the seventeenth to the eighteenth century, and represents a pleasant historical stop in this small area (Tremosine has 17 small hamlets!).
Remember that the terrace of Tremosine is open in a well-defined period, from early March until November, but in those months it is open every day, from morning until late evening. The only caution in this strange summer due to the Coronavirus: during lunchtime the terrace closes its Bar service to make room for the “seats” dedicated to the restaurant. The bar reopens at 2.30pm, at which time I advise you to be present to avoid arriving in a queue that has already been generated.
In Tremosine, however, there are also other points that allow you to enjoy a fabulous panorama, such as the Cozzaglio square or the terrace of the Hotel Panorama.
The Forra road: one of the most spectacular roads in Europe
To reach the Terrazza di Tremosine, if you arrive from Limone sul Garda, you have to take a narrow road, the so-called Strada della Forra, full of hairpin bends, curves and natural tunnels.
A narrow road, where the Brasa river flows (which forms the Brasa gorge) before flowing into the lake towards Limone. Here nature has formed canyons following the river, whose waters have carved a narrow and suggestive passage between the rocks. It starts from 65 meters high and reaches 423 with the Pieve di Tremosine, after a decidedly impressive path
The Strada della Forra has been considered by Winston Churchill one of the wonders of the world, and has also become the set of a chase in a James Bond film, Quantum of solace. Some scenes from Tom Tykwer’s The International film were also filmed on these streets, and several car manufacturers shot commercials in the Gorge, including BMW, Mercedes and the sporty Seat Leon.
La Forra starts from the shore of the lake and reaches the plateau where Tremosine is located, climbing among landscapes and natural beauties. If you are a fan of motorcycles or bicycles, in particular, the adrenaline will be unique among these curves!
Hi. I see this is on the Brescia side. But is it still in Veneto? I live in Veneto and want to visit..
The tremosine terrace is in Brescia side