Legendary Charms - There are places that have inspired popular legends and myths passed down from one generation to another and shrouded with an aura of mystery that makes them even more fascinating. Beautiful Lake Garda with its vibrant Mediterranean charm has witnessed the birth of numerous legends about mythological characters, saints, historical figures, and ordinary folk. Woven together like the many threads of a story plot, these legends take us to some of the most intriguing corners of Lake Garda and let us rediscover the area in a magical new way. The easiest place to reach by land or the lake is the rustic San Sivino hermitage perched on the coastal ridge between Moniga and Manerba del Garda. Today it is surrounded by homes, campsites, tourist resorts, and a few surviving vineyards, but it offers a magnificent view of the southern end of the lake, the Sirmione peninsula, and the Veronese section of the coast.
Embedded in the doorjamb of the hermitage is a stone engraved with a hand, cross, and foot that supposedly represents a pact made in 1200 by Marco the Miller, in serious difficulties, and the Devil, who promised him wealth and happiness.
Further up the western coast, nearly at the foot of Rocca di Manerba, is San Biagio Island - also called Rabbit Island by the locals - which is linked to the legend of Abbot Ermoaldo who walked on the lake to prove his innocence after an unjust accusation.
Somewhat less legendary is the episode that gave the name to "Prà de la fam" - the field of hunger - beyond the town of Gargnano in an area of Tignale on the lake garda. The area is home to a handful of houses, a trattoria, a small port, and a few lemon houses. A mountain torrent flows into the lake and an impervious mule trail lined by cypresses leads straight up the steep mountainside to Tignale. According to legend, a few fishermen were taken by surprise by one of the sudden storms that often form on the lake garda. Unable to return to the harbor from which they had set out, their boat capsized and washed up on the little beach, which was isolated and deserted at the time. The exhausted, cold and hungry fishermen remained there for several days until they were spotted by other boatmen, who saved them from certain death.
The next stop along the route is Campione, once a factory town in the 19th century and now the realm of surfers and yachtsmen. This is where, according to an ancient legend, Herculian, formerly the Bishop of Brescia, came to live as a hermit. One evening, after a long period of fasting, he asked his faithful servant to catch a fish, which they would share for dinner. His servant returned with four lovely carps that he immediately started to grill over a fire. The hermit, however, thought there were too many, so he told his servant to keep one and to throw the other three, even though roasted, back into the lake. As soon as they touched the water, they came back to life and darted away in a flash.
The tale about the origin of the name Limone sul Garda [Lemon] is more a myth than a legend. Limone and Grineo, the sons of the god Benaco and the nymph Phyllis, were two rebellious young chaps who enjoyed life and had no intention of becoming farmers or fishermen as their father wished. They were much happier hunting on Mt. Baldo and tracking bears, wild boar, and deer. One day a wild boar killed young Limone, and his mother Phyllis concocted a miraculous potion from the leaves and roots of a plant with deep blue flowers picked on the slopes of Mount Baldo, which brought her son back to life. Under his mother?s guidance, young Limone became a farmer and settled down in the coastal area opposite Mt. Baldo, where he grew the citrus fruit that took his name. His brother Grineo, who finally complied with his father?s wishes and took up fishing, moved further south to a place that he named after himself and was later transformed into Gargnano.
After rounding the northernmost tip of the lake and passing through Cassone on the way to Malcesine, anyone wishing to climb the slopes of Mt. Baldo through the olive groves and woods can reach the hermitage of Saints Benigno and Caro in a few hours. As legend has it, the two hermits, who lived in solitude and fed on herbs, wild fruits, and goat?s milk, were cared for by a saintly woman who lived in a nearby grotto. The situation triggered spiteful insinuations by the local inhabitants. Asked to justify themselves before the Bishop of Verona and not wishing to arrive empty-handed, they sowed turnips during the night and harvested them the following morning. They gave proof of their miraculous virtues and holy lives before the bishop by hanging their sodden cloaks on a ray of sunlight entering the window.
Legends and stories could not fail to find inspiration from one of the prettiest spots on the lake - Punta San Vigilio - where "Scoglio della Stella" [Rock of the Star] is said to be the nymph Stella [Star] turned to stone by young Vigilio, the grandson of Faun, the god of the forest, after she spurned his love. Last but not least, the history and legends of Rocca di Garda, which faces Rocca di Manerba, have always been a source of inspiration for writers and poets, and the legend of Queen Adelaide kept prisoner in the fortress is certainly the most popular tale.
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