torri del benaco
 
To the south of Malcesine, TORRI DEL BENACO is the prettiest and least spoilt of all the lake towns. Its old centre consists simply of one long cobbled street, Corso Dante, crisscrossed with tunnelling alleyways and lined with mellow stone palazzi . At one end of the street is the castle , illuminated at night and with a long glasshouse built along one side to protect the lemon trees inside during cold weather. Inside the castle there is a small anthropological museum (April, May & Oct daily 9.30am-12.30pm & 2.30-6pm; June-Sept daily 9.30am-1pm & 4.30-7.30pm; Nov-March Sun 2.30-5.30pm; L5000/2.58). Beyond the castle, the port area is a piazza planted with limes and chestnuts, at night swinging to the strains of the live musicians at swanky pavement cafés.

Torri is a fine place to stay, and there are a number of reasonable hotels , among which the Onda , located on Via per Albisano two minutes' walk from the village centre (tel 045.722.5895; L60,000-90,000/30.99-46.48), is certainly the best option. Each spotlessly clean room has its own balcony or terrace and the friendly owner provides a first-rate breakfast. If there's no room, the Belvedere (tel 045.722.5088; L60,000-90,000/30.99-46.48) opposite is a good bet. On the main road to the south of the village is the Lido (tel 045.722.5084; up to L60,000/30.99), on the lakeside, or for a more central, pricey choice there is the Gardisena on Piazza Calderini (tel 0457.225.411, fax 0457.225.771; L150,000-200,000/77.47-103.29), just round the corner from the tourist office (April-June & Sept Mon-Sat 9am-1pm & 3-6pm; July & Aug daily 9am-1pm & 3-7pm; tel 045.722.5120). For food , La Regata on the lakefront does hearty sandwiches; La Grotta , also on the lakefront, is good value with excellent pasta dishes; and, for more refined fare, El Trincero , Vicolo Chiesa 5, off Piazza Chiesa (closed Mon), a bulge in Corso Dante, serves schiacciata - flat bread bases topped with olive paté, or porcini and truffles - and sophisticated pasta dishes which have a wide following. For drinks , try Don Diego on Via Faese, an alleyway off Corso Dante, easily recognizable by the graffitied doors, where you can drink local Bardolino wine or its notorious and moderately priced sangria .

If you fancy a swim , there's a lido in Torri (with a disco in season), but you'd probably be better off heading south for the white shingle beaches at Punta San Vigilio , a hilly headland a short bus ride away. There's an excellent pay beach, with sun loungers and picnic tables scattered on grassy slopes planted with pines and planes, or, if you want to save your money, you can take a footpath about 100m from the first gate to several smaller coves - one of which is unofficially nudist. There's also an extremely exclusive hotel here, which numbers Churchill and Prince Charles among its famous ex-guests. Should you happen to be on the Punta on May 25, which is the only day they're open, you could visit the immaculate formal gardens of the Villa Guarienti , a tidy Renaissance creation by Sanmicheli.