⚠️ DELETE — replaced v2: snapper chord at the pass

Start in Riva del Garda with the lake still asleep and climb north past Torbole — then swing south and watch the Gardesana Orientale work its magic: gallery after gallery tunnelled straight through the cliff, each one spitting you back out into another flash of impossible blue. Limone sul Garda clings to its shore below, lemon terraces stacked like green amphitheatres, and the road keeps dancing between rock and water. Here's the thing about Tremalzo: you can't rush it and you can't shortcut it. From Limone the proper road swings wide, climbing the western shore before turning up into the mountains — and then the world changes. The tarmac narrows, the switchbacks begin, and the whole of Lake Garda slowly opens up beneath you until it looks like a fjord painted in turquoise. At the pass, a First World War open-air museum: trenches and ledges carved by soldiers a century ago, rocky pinnacles all around, and ridges walking away in every direction. Stand on the balcony. Breathe. This place has seen history, and now it's seeing you. The descent toward Tremosine threads along grassy ledges with the lake glittering through every gap in the pines — take it slowly, because every corner deserves a look. End with a coffee above the gorge, watching sailboats drift a thousand metres below. Riva, Torbole, Limone, Tremalzo, Tremosine: five moods of Garda in one drive. Arrive with a full tank and an empty schedule.