Torri del Benaco

Torri del Benaco is a fishing harbour on the middle of the Veneto shore, with a Scaliger castle standing directly over the water at one end of it.

It is smaller and quieter than Malcesine, and the harbour still works -- boats land fish here in the morning.

Two things set the castle apart. Attached to it is a limonaia, one of the last working lemon houses on the lake -- the tall stone-pillared frames that were roofed each winter to keep citrus alive this far north. And carved into the rocks above the town are prehistoric petroglyphs, thousands of years older than anything else here.

The harbour is a working one. Keep clear of the quay where boats are landing and nets are being handled.

The petroglyphs are unprotected prehistoric carvings on open rock. Do not touch, chalk, wet or take rubbings from them -- all of these are done, and all of them damage the surface.

The limonaia is a living collection of trees, not a display. Do not pick fruit.

Torri is quieter than its neighbours and its residents value that. Arriving by ferry and keeping noise down in the lanes is the whole ask.

The castle museum is small and municipally run; its admission is what keeps the petroglyph and fishing material conserved.

The castle and its museum charge a small admission, generally around five euros, and open seasonally -- reduced or closed in winter.

The harbour and town are free and always open.

Torri is on the ferry network, with a car ferry across to Toscolano-Maderno on the Lombard shore -- the only vehicle crossing on the lake, and a useful shortcut.

Allow an hour for the castle and limonaia, more for the town.

The castle has steps and tower climbs and is not accessible; the harbour front is level.

Ask at the museum about the petroglyphs -- they are above the town on open rock, and are much easier to find with directions.