"I could have already been in Verona this evening, but I was close to a magnificent product of nature, a splendid spectacle, Lake Garda. I did not want to miss it, and I was repaid for my detour." These are the words of Goethe, written in his travelogue on September 12, 1786. Torbole was the first town he came across: "When you arrive below, on the northernmost tip of the lake you'll find a town named Torbole with a small harbor, or better yet, a dock".

He describes the place as a land of plenty in which its inhabitants live in homes with unlocked doors and oil paper on the windows. For the first time he mentions the lemons, figs and pears that he adores. The day after, Goethe embarked for the southern lake area, but unfavorable winds forced him to sail to Malcesine, which was under Venetian rule at the time.
The diary relates the chronicle of a small incident that occurred with the municipal police and was solved thanks to the townsfolk and a fellow named Gregorio, who worked for the Bolognaro family in Frankfurt. After the episode was solved and the poet visited the town, he set out for Bardolino. The next few pages in his diary are full of events.
The lake is described in its primordial beauty. Goethe was fascinated by the open spaces and the majesty of the mountains surrounding the lake Garda. He describes the people and the towns with their simple, carefree life.

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