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If you visit Malcesine, you will not be able to ignore the dramatic and breathtaking beauty of the Castello Scaligero. Dominating the pretty medieval village, the castle sits at the top of a hill and offers stunning views of both Lake Garda and the surrounding mountains. The oldest parts of the castle date from around 600AD although there was a fortification in the same place from long before this date. Visitors can walk along the fairy-tale turrets and ramparts to see the cobbled streets of Malcesine leading to the mysterious blue waters of the lake beyond.

But a visit to the castle is not just about admiring the scenery and connecting with the past. The Castello Scaligero is also home to the Museum of the Natural History of Monte Baldo and Lake Garda. This innovative and creative attraction aims to engage all five senses as the visitor explores the various rooms dedicated to different aspects of the local lake and mountain ecosystems. Sightseers can experience life at the bottom of a lake, touch samples of local rocks, and even enjoy the scents of local plants.

The museum consists of nine rooms, which are ordered by altitude, starting with a display about the lowest levels of Lake Garda in the first room, and culminating in an exhibition about the nature at the top of Monte Baldo. The most unusual of the all the exhibits is the central room, which is laid out like a restaurant. But this is a restaurant which serves up knowledge rather than food; visitors can choose from a ‘menu’ of information on the monitors set into each table.

There is also a collection of sketches of Lake Garda and the castle by the celebrated writer Goethe, who travelled to Malcesine in 1786. These nearly led to his arrest when locals, suspicious of his interest, believed him to be an Austrian spy. Nowadays, however, visitors are welcome to follow in Goethe’s footsteps and sketch the idyllic scenery visible from the museum.