“Legends, curiosities and mysteries about Lake Garda”

NON-FICTION by Simona Cremonini, UK translated by Laura Botturi

A guide to wonderful Lake Garda and its magic places, travelling through fairies, witches, ghosts, monsters and other fantasy stories.

208 pages, 14 euro
2013, ed. PresentARTsì

 

 

This book on Lake Garda, translated in English, is an unusual way to travel all around the biggest Italian lake, as it tells ancient legends and folklore stories formerly available only in Italian.
“History, traditions and magical, frightful, unusual, curious, mysterious stories that concern or have concerned in the past the area of Lake Garda: this “guide” allows to start an unusual, but complete tour around the lake, from Riva to Desenzano, from Bardolino to Padenghe, from Garda to Toscolano, from Malcesine to Tremosine, from Peschiera to San Felice.”
The journey begins in Riva del Garda, it goes on along the Verona side of the lake, reaching Sirmione and the Brescia side, and it grows on, back to Riva: but as said, this is a fantasy tour and everyone can choose his own stages and the themes to follow. 

 

THE PLACES IN THE BOOK:

Riva del Garda
Tenno
Varone
Lago di Tenno
Torbole
Nago
Malcesine
Cassone
Assenza
Monte Baldo
Isola di Trimelone
Isola dell’Olivo
Isola del Sogno
Brenzone
Biasa
Torri del Benaco
San Faustino
Marciaga
Punta San Vigilio
Garda
Cavaion Veronese
Bardolino
Lazise
Pacengo
Peschiera del Garda
Sirmione
Desenzano del Garda
Valtenesi
Padenghe
Lonato
Moniga del Garda
Polpenazze
Manerba del Garda
San Felice del Benaco
San Fermo
Isola del Garda
Salò
Campoverde
Gardone Riviera
Maderno
Pieve di Toscolano
Toscolano
Gargnano
Sasso di Gargnano
Tignale
Campione
Tremosine
Limone

 

 

THE CHAPTERS OF THE BOOK:

The cult of Bergimo
“Doss de le strie”
The devil in Varone
Giana
The origins of Lake Tenno
Pian del Tesoro
Night of Fairy Tales
The cult of San Giovanni Nepomuceno
Last shore for Kafka
The ghost without a face
Garda Christmas among elves and sprites
Giants’ marmites (Potholes)
Sass dei Pòpi
The marriage of Sarca and Garda
The legend of King Ornit
Malcesine
“Pica Lóf”
The shortest river in the world
San Benigno and San Caro
Benigno and Caro in Verona
Dialects and trades from Garda
Città del Sonno
The twins Limone and Grineo
The black female cat
Isola di Trimelone
The wizard Sabino
Angelic and devilish winds on the lake
El pore Davi
Chestnuts, Bread of the dead
Our Lady of Castagnàr
The fable of Catarinèla
Friar Malerba (Weed)
Traces of mandrake in Torri del Benaco
Marciaga Sanctuary
Neptune and Garda
A dragon on the shore of Lake Garda
Scoglio della Stella
The monster of Baia delle Sirene
Benaco, Neptune’s son
The marriage of the Lake
The water-diviner devil
Garda, the ancient submerged city
Queen Adelaide between history and legend
The overflow of the Adige
Fairies’ Feast
The love well
Bardolino’s Preonda
San Severo, a church with many mysteries
The romantic story of Dorina and the fisherman
Saint Peter, an egg for a mystery
Saint Peter’s Day
Les Eguales
Mondragon’s legends
The altar for the Iunones
Ca’ del diavolo
Omini
Garda’s olive tree
Modern mosters
Urban legends from Lake Garda
Ghost Alboino
Garda’s eels
Laghetto del Frassino
Madonna del Frassino
The Vò
The Bad Queen
Bojola
The ghost of the fortress of Sirmione
Sirmione and the legends
Catullus
The dragon of Lake Garda
Wines and grapevines of Lake Garda
Mythology in Desenzano del Garda
Etymology of Benaco and Garda
Ricetti castles
The stone of the Failed
A ghost in Lonato
ValtenesI
Lake Garda and the truffle
Sacrificies and secret cults in Soiano
Witches in Padenghe
A little flame for Nicolino
Moniga del Garda
Ca’ de l’orco
Lake Lucone
Marco the miller and the pact with the devil
Isola di San Biagio
The cross on the fortress of Manerba
Minerva in Manerba
Dante and Lake Garda
Bènaco or Benàco
Vitilde and Antonio
San Fermo
San Felice del Benaco
Carpione fish and Lake Garda
The monsters of isola del Garda
Etymology of Salò
Trial for Cornelia Quintiliana
Tavine’s legend
Garda’s “anguane”
The Sanctuary of the Madonna del Rio
Ponte de Camara
Amulets and superstitions for Gabriele D’Annunzio
Temples and mythological inscriptions
Benacus, the submerged city
Mount Gu
Garda’s witches
The myth of citrus fruits
A monstrous sheat-fish
Neptune in Gargnano
Etymology of Gargnano
San Valentino’s hermitage
Orcana’s jealousy
Prato della fame
Sant’Erculiano and the carpione fish
Erculiano’s death
The lion and Lake Garda
Hercules and Lake Garda
The pedrüs
The horse of San Carlo Borromeo
Gioanì and the moon
Etymology of Limone
Witches from the Brescia side of Lake Garda