In the past the Garda Island was named the 'Insula Craniae', and later on at the turn of the 11 th century it was named , 'Isola del Garda' and then "Isola dei Frati', 'Isola dei Lechi', 'Isola Scotti', 'Isola de Ferrari' and 'Isola Borghese Cavazza'. It was already inhabited in Roman times and was used as a hunting ground up until the year 879 when it became the residence of Carlo Magno who later donated the island to the monks. In 1221 St.Francis of Assisi built a simple hermitage on the rocks facing north. The five monks who inhabited the Island lived a life of absolute poverty and contemplation closed away within their cells, cut out of the rock.

St.Anthony of Padova visited this place on lake Garda in 1227. It is also likely that Dante Alighieri himself visited the Island un 1304. Between the years 1383 and 1444 St.Bernard of Siena enriched the gardens of the monastery by planting lemon,citron, orange, and olive trees. Later on Francesco Licheto (Franciscan) held public philosophy and teology lectures there. When he died in 1529 the monastery began falling into a state af decay. In 1803 (six years after Napoleon had founded the Cisalpine Republic), the religious order was finally suppressed. The Island in front of San Felice del Benaco fell into the hands of the state and was then sold to the noble Conter family of Salò. In 1817 the property passed on to the Benedetti brothers (from Portese), then to Giovanni Fiorentini (a businessman from Milan) and then to the Lechi family from Brescia.

In 1860 the area was taken over and used as a military outpost. At the beginning of 1870 the Scotti family obtained the Island through auction and later handed it over to the Duke of Ferrari (from Genoa). It was the Duke who was responsable for the construction of the monumental building which still exists to this day. The building work, overseen by Rovelli, an architect from Genoa, was completed in 1903. The result was an extremely complex and impressive building in Neo-Gothic-Venetian style, similar to the 'Palazzo Ducale' in Venice. After the death of Maria Annenkov, the Duke's wife, the propery was inherited by their daughter, Anna Maria. Anna Maria enriched the gardens with exotic flowers and essences. She married Prince Scipione Borghese and their daughter Livia looked after and cared for this paradise for more than 50 years.

Livia married Count Alessandro Cavazza with whom she had 3 children: Novello, Paolo Emilio and Camillo. The Garda Island was left to Camillo and the actual residents of the Island today are his wife, Charlotte Chetwynd Talbot and their children: Sigmar, Livia, Eric, Ilona, Alberta, Christian and Lars Patrick.

The lakes, which border the communities of Muscoline and Gavardo, are easily reached by car or on foot. The water lilies and lotus flowers that grow in July and August are definitely worth seeing.