The Olive House is situated on the edge of the tranquil country village of Gaino on the first ridge of the hills surrounding Lake Garda. The property forms part of the traditional, old Italian village with stone and clay tile terraced housing forming an intriguing network of mysterious narrow alleys and piazzas.

The property consists of two, 3 story terraced apartments with semi basements. The two apartments have lockable, interleading doors and thus have the possibility for two families to share the accommodation while still maintaining family privacy. There is one big kitchen at semi basement level leading out onto a courtyard and one big living room on the main street level. Four bedrooms and four bathrooms are on the first and second floors with one extra bedroom on the ground floor. All are spacious bedrooms with picture postcard views from the windows and lead out onto balconies over looking the lake or the village roof tops. The house has been renovated internally recently but it is an integral part of the ancient Italian village of Gaino and still maintains this Italian village charm and identity with a sensitive mix of modern and antique furniture and artefacts.

Please note that when booking you get exclusive use of The Olive House with garden and pool, no other guests reservations would be taken.
Medium Season - Minimum stay is 4 nights & flexible changeover day, discounts can be offered for smaller families than 10 guests - please message to ask for a quote.
High Season - Minimum stay is 7 nights & Saturday changeover only.
***New for 2022*** HiSpeed WiFi throughout

There are many activities in the area, both near and far. Walk out the door for a café on the village piazza or for a morning excursion up to the top of Monte Castello or head down to the river valley and visit the paper Museum(Museo della Carta) to peruse the ancient artefacts of the Roman era, when the valley was the European centre of papermaking. You could also explore the rock cataracts upstream where the river cuts its way through the valley rock or get up early and fish for trout. Our children have never come back with less than five decent sized trout!

There is a riding stable 5 minutes walk away where you can organize anything from a morning ride into the hills to a 5 day trek into the alps.

A 15min walk will bring you to the Bogliaco golf club that has a tradition starting in 1912. It is worth having a look at its website to give you a feel for the beauty of the area.

Of course you could also just partake in some sun therapy on the sun loungers at the poolside with an occasional cool dip to take the edge off the heat.

We look forward to hearing from you, if you wish to stay with us. Do email if you have any further questions and we will be more than happy to help.

For the comfort of all our guests, this is a pet free and non smoking property.

Things to do
In such a diverse landscape, geographically, culturally and historically an abundance of activities are at hand;

- sailing, windsurfing, canoeing, paddle boarding, kite boarding and scuba courses.
- ravine hiking/scrambling
- fishing. Please note you need to go to the Museo della Carteria to get a fishing license for the day. Last season this was €5 per rod. Start fishing early (8am) if you want to catch some trout!
- mountain climbing, hiking, biking
- horse riding; lessons, morning excursions or multiday trekking(with camping) into the mountains
- sunbathing and swimming beaches
- walking tours of the villages
- golf and tennis (bogliaco golf course website)
- excursions to the Verona summer festival of Operas in the open air Romanamphitheatre
- excursions to Milan's La Scala opera
- vineyard tours and wine tasting of the famous wines of the region
- thermal springs
- cultural visits to the cities of Milan, Venice, Brescia.(not to mention the shopping)
- explorations by ferry to the other villages and towns of the lake such as Gardone Riviera, Riva and Salo with their museums, churches and other cultural and market attractions.
- an abundance of wonderful restaurants
- an abundance of summer festivities and markets in the villages of the Lake

The apartments have been renovated by an architect to a high, modern specification yet retain their historical charm with a sensitive mix of modern and antique furniture and artefacts.
The apartments are separated from the one acre stone-walled garden by a small village lane (2.1m wide). This is a no-through road with little traffic. For ease and convenience an entire Pool House has been built in this garden, adjacent the pool with fully equipped kitchen, dining, lounge area, with shower room and laundry facilities. There is also a cool siesta room attached, tucked into the hillside, for the child, baby (or the odd parent!) to nap in during the heat of the day.
The apartments/house will provide you with everything you need for a memorable stay in this beautiful area of Italy. The house is equipped with the following:
- Dishwashers
- Washing machine
- Fridge/Freezers
- Coffee filter machine and kettle, moka
- Electric ovens with gas hobs
- Two fully equipped kitchens, for everything you need for self catering needs. Supermarket(with deli) in Toscolano Maderno 2km away
- Good quality, Egyptian cotton bed linen and towels are provided.
-specific beach towels for outside use only are provided.
- New, good quality, mattresses and protectors.
- A variety of sports kit, activities and children's toys

A full guest information pack is emailed once your booking is confirmed with all the information you could need about the property, local area and activities. A copy of this will also be at the property on arrival for your reference.

On arrival you will be met by our local housekeeper, who will be on hand to welcome you to the Olive House and settle you into your home away from home.

Finding Us; Airports and Railway Stations

By Air
The nearest airport is Verona, also know as Valerio Catullo in VillaFranca, which is approximately 65 km from the Olive house in Gaino. This airport has daily connections to all major European cities, including the UK, Germany, Paris and Amsterdam to name but a few. British Airways and Easyjet operate from here. For long haul, many airlines such as Air Canada, American Airways and Delta, fly into Milan or Venice. In addition, there is a Ryan Air hub, at Bergamo, Airport, Milan which is approximately 95 Km from the apartment.(1 hour 15min)

From the Airport or Railway
From Verona airport, you can take take a taxi to Gaino which should cost approximately 150euros. Alternatively a wonderful way to start your holiday is to take a taxi to the local ferry port of Torri Del Benaco, which takes approximately 30 minutes and approximately 75 euros for all passengers and luggage. A ferry will take you on a magnificent 20 min ride across the Lake docking at Maderno where we can organize a taxi to take you the 5min trip up to Gaino. If you are hiring a car from the Verona airport, you can also drive to the Torri port, as the ferry also transports cars.

You can view all ferry times, google navigazionelaghi -please be aware the times change according to the season and weekends and public holidays as indicated (look closely at the details) on the timetables.

By Railway
The nearest railway station is at Desenzano (45min) away or Brescia (approximately one hour) from the Olive House. These stations are on the main railway line linking Venice to Verona, Brescia, Milan and on to Paris and London and are serviced by Eurocity. It is thus possible to get an overnight train from London to Lake garda (Desenzano). It is possible to catch the lake ferry or bus from Desenzano to Toscolanl Maderno or you could take a taxi.

* Please contact us if you need assistance considering your travel
requirements and for more specific details of the location