In Garda Trentino the cultivation of olives has a millenary tradition and olive oil has always represented a great wealth: the Olive Trail is a tribute to their history and value.
The trail passes through the olive grove of Arco, a place where the link between the olive tree and the land is particularly evident and where it is easy to see how this plant has transformed the landscape and local culture.
Along the Olive Tree Trail you will find fourteen installations that will allow you to get to know this extraordinary tree, see the landscape around you with new eyes and put yourself in the shoes of the olive growers who, with passion and commitment, dedicate themselves to tending the olive groves and producing the green gold of Garda Trentino.
SHORTCUT
If you don't feel like walking the whole trail, you can take the shortcut (marked as Sentiero dell'Olivo - Shortcut on singposts) after installation 8. The shortened trail is 5 km long and has a drop of 175 m and it takes about 2 hours.
For more information on routes, services (guides, mountain huts, shops etc.) and hiking friendly accommodation: Garda Trentino - +39 0464 554444
The telephone number for the emergency services is 112.
The information on this chart is subject to inevitable variations, so this means that none of the indications are absolute. It is not entirely possible to avoid giving inexact or imprecise information, given how quickly environmental and weather conditions can change. For this reason we decline any responsibility for changes which the user may encounter. In any case, the hiker is advised to check the conditions of the places, environment and weather before setting out.
The Olive Trail starts from the info point in Viale delle Palme, where the Art Nouveau architecture of the Casinò Municipale and exotic plants recall the 19th-century splendour of the Habsburg Kurtort.
We make our way towards the centre and pass the decidedly more austere Chiesa Collegiata di Santa Maria Assunta to take the slope leading up to Arco Castle, around which the mediaeval town has developed. From here on, the olive grove of Arco begins, a green space squeezed between the town and the rocky walls that encloses more than 40,000 olive trees.
At the junction with the road that climbs towards Laghel, we take the path that winds along the foot of Coste di Baone between rocks, dry stone walls and expanses of olive trees. Along the trail, there is no shortage of viewpoints inviting us to take a break among the olive trees. Here the vegetation, climate and landscape become decidedly Mediterranean.
After about 3 km, the path crosses the asphalt road to Padaro. We descend for a few hundred metres until we reach the Olif de Bòtes, which, with an estimated age of 900 to 1,000 years, contends with the Olif de la Gort in Nago for the record of the oldest tree in Garda Trentino.
We retrace our steps and take the path that descends to the right towards the village of Vigne, pass the church and start climbing again towards Dosso di Romarzollo, a hill planted with olive trees between Vigne and Arco.
After passing the Dosso di Romarzollo we leave the olive grove behind us and approach the town centre. We walk along Via Lomego and pass by the Arboreto, once the park of the villa of Archduke Albrecht of Austria, now converted into a public garden with trees and shrubs from all over the world.
We cross the Stranfora arch, the ancient city gate, to enter the medieval heart of Arco, where among the alleys with evocative names and small squares we can still breathe in a village air with the flavour of times gone by. From here we follow Via Vergolano to return to our starting point.
The main towns in Garda Trentino - Riva del Garda, Arco, Torbole sul Garda, Nago – are connected by several urban and intercity bus lines which will take you to the starting point of tours or in the immediate surroundings.
You can also get to Riva del Garda and Torbole sul Garda by the public ferry service.
Find out how to reach Garda Trentino.
Parking in Caneve (5 minutes walk to the town centre).
Paid parking: Foro Boario, near the bridge (Via Caproni Maini) or the post office (Via Monache).
This excursion is quite simple and presents no particular difficulty. However, we still recommend you to wear suitable footwear, a hat, sun screen and sunglasses. And be sure to bring water!
