Valeggio sul Mincio

The town centre climbs to a 13th-century Scaliger castle, but most visitors head first to Borghetto, the hamlet below on the river, where water mills, footbridges and old houses cluster at the foot of the Ponte Visconteo. That 14th-century fortified dam, about 650 m long, once let the Visconti control the river; today it hosts the Festa del Nodo d'Amore, a June dinner for thousands laid on one long table across the bridge. The dish is the local tortellini, thin pasta knots that Valeggio's restaurants make by hand.

Just outside the centre, Parco Giardino Sigurtà covers 60 hectares with a kilometre-long avenue of roses, a hedge maze and spring tulip displays. The asphalt Mincio cycle path from Peschiera to Mantova passes through, so Valeggio suits cyclists, garden lovers and anyone planning a long lunch.