Valvestino and Cima Rest

The Valle di Valvestino and Cima Rest road is a journey into the most secret Garda: 30 km of hairpin bends through an isolated and wild valley where time seems to stand still. From the Gargnano Riviera, it takes an hour to climb up to Cima Rest, a village of alpine huts with characteristic stone ‘fenili’ and an out-of-this-world atmosphere.

The route
The route leaves Gargnano and ascends the Toscolano Valley via the Valvestino dam, where the artificial lake creates an almost Norwegian landscape with its emerald-green waters set between wooded mountains. The road is narrow and winding but perfectly paved, with views opening up at every bend.
Once past the dam, you enter the municipality of Valvestino, one of the least populated in Italy: a few hundred inhabitants distributed in small stone hamlets where mountain farming life is still a daily reality.

Cima Rest and the pheniles
Cima Rest (1,200 m) is a small plateau where the ancient ‘malghe’, the ‘fenili’, have been restored, creating an open-air museum of Garda rural architecture. The thatched roofs, dry stone structures and original furnishings tell a story of Alpine rural life that has disappeared elsewhere. From Cima Rest the view of Lake Garda is one of the most beautiful – the lake appears like a Nordic fjord between the mountains.

Practical advice
Paved but narrow road with hairpin bends – drive carefully, especially in sections where the roadway narrows. Suitable for cars and motorbikes. At Cima Rest a small refuge offers mountain cuisine with local products. The route is passable from April to November. In winter, the road may be closed due to snow. Can be combined with a visit to Gargnano and its elegant lakeside promenade.