4 Day Weekend Horse Riding Holiday in Lombardy, Toscolano-Maderno

Facilities

Horse riding in close contact with nature is a particularly intense and unforgettable experience, no matter if you ride for one hour or for many days. The steep trails of Alto Garda Bresciano Park are always a challenge for both horse and rider. For years, Scuderia Castello has been one of the best horse riding holiday location in Italy for experienced riders. Novice and beginners also have the opportunity to expand their knowledge and learn the art of riding from the basics.

The horse rides can be arranged to start from Scuderia Castello with lunch at the refuge or you can use Campei as a step to get to other places in the park riding expert horses. During this holiday, you will enjoy a one-day trek scheduled for five to seven hours. From the peak of the mountains, you can enjoy breathtaking views, the blue waters of Lake Garda on one side and the peaks of the Lombardy Alps on the other offer visitors some views of rare and spectacular beauty and you will wish your ride would never end. After that, you will recover at lunch with traditional dishes.

Notes: In Italy, horseback riding is prohibited to children under the age of 14. Scuderia Castello asks you for understanding that they do not allow your children, even if with some experience, to take part in excursions.

Horses and equipment

Scuderia Castello's horses, mostly Maremmano horses, are specially trained for riding in extreme conditions. There are 20 horses, 15 of which are available for guests, all well-trained for day rides or multi-day treks. The horses will take you safely to the most hidden and unexpected places. The equipment is compatible with the degree of difficulty of the excursion and the characteristics of the territory to be explored. Every year, they train young reliable horses for the tranquility and safety of the guests.

This riding holiday will take place in Toscolano-Maderno, Italy. Scuderia Castello, your place of stay, is immersed in a spectacular landscape stretching over 40 hectares of olive groves, chestnut woods, and pastures in several plots of land in Toscolano-Maderno area. The main house with its stables, horses, and paddocks is immersed in a large olive grove with spectacular views of Lake Garda and faces the spectacular and imposing Mount Baldo, at about 350 meters altitude and three kilometers from the beaches of Toscolano.

Scuderia Castello is also located in the heart of Alto Garda Bresciano Park (upper Garda park), in a privileged position, and precisely in Gaino, a tiny old village on the hills. It overlooks the village of Toscolano-Maderno, in one of the most beautiful and charming areas of the western side of the lake. It is the ideal starting place for exploring charming routes and interesting itineraries for all needs and skills.

Due to the temperate Mediterranean climate, interesting excursions are possible all year round. You can choose from hundreds of trails and panoramic routes. You can walk for hours along valleys, hill slopes overlooking the lake, or you can explore the woods and climb to the highest peaks, up to 2,000 meters above sea level. The region offers thousands of possibilities both for hikers and riders.

Alto Garda Bresciano Park

The park was founded in 1989 with the aim to safeguard the natural environment and to promote the development of the communities within its territory. With its 38,000 hectares, it extends over nine municipalities from Salò to Limone and its area ranges from Lake Garda to an altitude of about 2,000 meters. The park is interesting for its geological and environmental features, its endemic flora and fauna, and its mild climate. Scuderia Castello suggests you visit the park museum in Tignale where you’ll find more interesting information about the natural and cultural aspects of the park.

Toscolano-Maderno

Toscolano-Maderno offers much richness of the historical beauties you can admire. Some of the places in the municipality that are really worth a visit include:

• The earliest remains of ancient settlements that are still visible in Toscolano-Maderno go back to the Roman times
• The Roman villa which is a relatively recent finding (found in 1967)
• The Romanesque church of Sant'Andrea in Maderno
• Olive tree cultivation
• Lemon greenhouse at the port of Toscolano and Prà de la Fam
• The parish church of Toscolano

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Scuderia Castello

The staff at Scuderia Castello devotes special attention to traditional local cuisine, mainly with the use of products primarily from their company. In fact, the garden provides in season the vegetables that accompany the dishes flavored with the aromatic herbs that they cultivate, thanks to the Mediterranean climate that Scuderia Castello enjoys.

They also produce an excellent extra virgin olive oil and a lot of fruit that they transform into breakfast jams or cakes served to the guests. The meat not directly produced by Scuderia Castello comes from the local breeding where the selected cattle are fed with fodder and maize flours that are systematically controlled for them to offer high-quality culinary products. Their traditionally poor cuisine offers tasty dishes that are based on the wise use of the cattle in all its parts.

The restaurant also offers lake fish bought by local fishermen operating on Lake Garda. However, their shopping cart is always provided by farms, cheese shops, and wineries as close as possible to them in order to maintain the principle of kilometer 0. They are always happy to be able to use their products to meet the growing demand for vegetarian dishes. Having their vegetables available, this task becomes a pleasure and a passion.

Scuderia Castello offers dinner that includes an appetizer, a first course, and a second course with vegetables, desserts, coffee, mineral water, and home wine (half a bottle per person). For children, there is a soft drink included. By reservation, the Scuderia Castello’s kitchen is happy to prepare some tasting menu and seasonal dishes including spiedo bresciano, pizzoccheri and salty meat, trout or coregone with polenta, amatriciana pasta and saltimbocca, and many others on request.

Rifugio Campei

Rifugio Campei's cuisine is centered on local ingredients and draws inspiration from typical dishes and uses products grown on their farm, such as vegetables, olive oil, seasonal fruit (apples, cherries, pears, and plums), and berries. Since they also grow their own meat, they have created delicious recipes using all cuts in respect of the culinary tradition of the region including boiled meat, chops, tenderloin stew, and of course the spiedo bresciano (Brescian spit) traditionally served with polenta.

Rifugio Campei also serves lake fish bought from local fishermen. The products they don’t grow on the farm are only purchased from local reliable farmers. The restaurant is open at lunch and dinner for the guests and for all gourmets who wish to taste their specialties with a previous booking. They serve a light lunch with delicious, quick dishes prepared with fresh products, depending on the season, from the vegetable garden at an excellent quality-price ratio. They also recommend the best local wines of the nearby Valtenesi.

• A walk around Via Valle delle Cartiere
• Brescia tour
• Day trips to Verona and Mantua
• Enjoying market days on Lake Garda
• Excursion to Giardino Botanico Fondazione André Heller
• Exploring the countryside and its small interesting villages with cultural traditions and local products
• Exploring the historical and charming lakeside with its beaches and art treasures
• Hiking
• Riding lessons
• Short and panoramic walks in the midst of olive groves or through small villages
• Toscolano-Maderno tour
• Tour of Valvestino
• Traveling to Gargnano and the Italian Social Repubblic
• Visit to Desenzano del Garda and Sirmione
• Visit to Salò
• Vittoriale degli italiani visit

• 1 day on horseback in a trekking in the enchanting landscape of Alto Garda Bresciano Park
• 1 walk on horseback (approximately 2-3 hours)
• Use of well-trained Maremmano horses
• 3 nights' accommodation
• Lunch during the trekking

• A reservation requires a deposit of 30% of the total price.
• The deposit is non-refundable, if the booking is cancelled.
• The rest of the payment should be paid on arrival.