Vittoriale degli Italiani

Perhaps the most peculiar sight on Lake Garda is the Vittoriale degli Italiani, a nine-acre hillside estate on the Gardone Riviera that belonged to the eccentric Italian writer Gabriele d’Annunzio until his death in 1938. The expansive grounds include d’Annunzio’s residence, an amphitheater, boathouse, mausoleum and the 300-foot naval ship Puglia, which d’Annunzio had placed in the gardens in 1925. D’Annunzio was a fierce opponent of the Italian fascist government and their alliance with Nazi Germany, so in an effort to keep him away from the political center in Rome, the government funded the expansion of his estate and donated impressive works of art to d’Annunzio’s collection.