History & Culture

The inhabitants must have been small, unconnected tribes, wandering through the valleys in search of food and the vicissitudes of war. They may have been populations of Ligurians and Euganeans; the Benacensi probably belonged to them.

The settlement of the Celtic populations of the Cenomani Gauls, who were subjected to the Romans in the 2nd century BC, dates to 600 BC. Subsequently, the historical events of Limone followed the history of the Garda Riviera: from the Goths to the Lombards, from Charlemagne's Franks to the great monasteries of Brescia, from the Scaligeri to the Visconti, from the Republic of Venice (1426-1797) to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, from Risorgimento Italy to the advent of the Italian Republic.

The period of Venetian rule was decisive for Limone's socio-economic development. Thanks to the initiative of some local families, firstly the Bettoni counts, supported by the choices of the Serenissima, Limone went from a simple rural economy, linked to fishing and the cultivation of olive trees, to a real commercial industry. From the 17th century onwards, Limonaie were built, special greenhouses that allowed the cultivation of lemons on the ground and the production of lemons, exported for their organoleptic qualities to half of Europe (Austria, Germany, Poland, Russia, etc.).

The gardens were mainly created along the coast towards Riva, taking large, terraced areas away from the mountains and parameterizing the sites with high walls to defend the plants and fruit from the cold north winds. The characteristic masonry pillars, neatly aligned, were used to support the fir beams for the winter covering with boards and glass. Before burying the plants, the bottom of the greenhouse was insulated with a large layer of lime to prevent the loss of water supplied by streams and springs and distributed to irrigate the plants with an ingenious system of channels. The local soil, being too gravelly, calcareous, and poor in elements, was transported from the Venetian shore by barges.

Limone, at almost 46° north latitude, became the northernmost town in the world where lemons were grown for commercial purposes in the 18th century. The description of Limonaie by J. Wolfgang Goethe in his "Italian Journey", when he was travelling by boat from Torbole to Malcesine, is famous; the village, its gardens and lemons suddenly entered the pages of world literature: "13th September 1786. The morning was magnificent, a little cloudy, but calm as the sun rose. We passed Limone, with its terraced gardens up the mountainside, a spectacle of richness and grace. The whole garden consists of rows of white square pillars, which are placed at a certain distance from each other, up the slope of the mountain, in steps. Sturdy poles are placed over these pillars to cover the trees growing in the intervals in winter. The slowness of the crossing favored the observation and contemplation of this pleasant spectacle'.

In the nineteenth century, lemon production went through a crisis caused by 'gummosis', a disease that affected almost all the plants in 1855; then there was competition from lemons in southern Italy and the discovery of synthetic citric acid, which drastically reduced exports.

The paper mills, which had been active for centuries along the San Giovanni stream valley, also ceased their activities. Silkworm, sheep and goat farming, mountain logging, lime production in the lime kilns along the Sìngol Valley and in Reamòl, and the magnesia factory set up in 1861 required sacrifices and guaranteed derisory incomes.

The events of the 1915-18 war period heavily involved Limone and its inhabitants due to the proximity of the border between the Kingdom of Italy and the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The village was hit several times by bombs. In September 1916 the population was evacuated and ended up in exile in Maderno and Gardone Riviera, until November 1918. The recovery was difficult, with the roads, aqueduct, mill, and port to be repaired, the municipal budget in disarray and few job opportunities. A few particularly cold years, rising labor costs and increasingly low production yields dealt the fatal blow to the lemon sector. The country's economy was severely affected. Many emigrated, while others returned to fishing and olive growing; an important step was taken in November 1919 when the Cooperativa Possidenti Oliveti (Olive Growers' Cooperative) was set up to manage a social oil mill.

In 1928-31 the Gardesana Occidentale road was built, linking Limone to Riva and Gargnano, thus ending centuries of isolation. The local economy began to transform immediately after the Second World War thanks to the influx of the first tourists from Germany and Austria. The inhabitants of Limone began a slow but steady development, transforming the small fishing village into today's tourist center, one of the most important on Lake Garda and in Lombardy.