NOTTE D’INCANTO (ENCHANTED NIGHT)

The Notte d’incanto (Enchanted Night), also known as the Festa dei Lumi (Festival of Light), starts in the late afternoon of the 15th of August. This is a particularly dramatic event because, at the end of the parade, the lake is illuminated by thousands of tiny lights scattered from the boats, which make Desenzano del Garda look for all the world like a magical, fairy-tale city. Appropriately enough, this tradition is linked to several different legends, the most important of which relates to the Sirens of Benaco, who – it is said – would come down from Mount Olympus to the shores of the lake to mingle with, and be entertained by, the mortals.

Alongside the shimmering lights on the water, there is also a wonderful firework display that festoons the night sky above the town with a thousand different colours. The fireworks are set off from two rafts anchored 250m from the shore.

To help celebrate this wonderful event, the Villa Rosa Hotel serves a buffet on the panoramic terrace, from which guests can marvel at the fantastic views of the fireworks exploding over the lake.

If you would like to book your stay at the hotel, please click here.

REGATTA DELLE BISSE 

This regatta dates back to the time of the Venetian domination, which began in 1426. It was in that period that Lake Garda first saw the arrival of the so-called bissa, a flat, gondola-shaped boat that was rowed from a standing position. The first bissa regattas were held in Salò in 1548, but it was not until 1967 that the event became formalised. Each regatta is contested by around twenty ‘Bissa Companies’, each from a different municipality in the Garda area.

FOR LOVERS OF MOTOR SPORTS

Desenzano plays host to a multiplicity of motorsport events. The most important of these is the annual Mille Miglia race, which sees numerous vintage cars (built between 1927 and 1957) making their way through the city. For fans of rally driving, every year there is the Mille Miglia Rally, organised by the Automobile Club of Brescia. For more information, please click here. There are also regular go-karting fixtures at the track in Lonato. For more information on this, please click here.