What to do

Diving - B&B Iseo Lake

In words and pictures, we will give you a taste of the pleasure of living here all year round.

Castro is a tiny marina on Lake Iseo which visitors fall in love with for its peace and countrified nature. It is the ideal destination for those seeking unspoilt treasures: a genuine place, where the people hand down their traditions with folk festivals in the cool of the lakeside evenings, especially in the summer.

Set in a natural bay in the north of Lake Iseo, during the summer Castro is refreshed by the Ora, our local, friendly wind with its cooling and beneficial breeze that even encourages people from local villages to come here to escape the heat.

If we stop just for a moment to let our gaze take in the shoreline of the Lake and the marvellous backdrop that nature offers us, even those of us who have always lived here are overcome with emotion …

Your gaze never remains still, but is attracted by the colours, shapes and sounds produced by our land that entice you and lead you everywhere to take in all the breathtaking sights.

B&B Iseo Lake is right here: on the lakeside!

Just 20 metres from B&B Iseo Lake is the landing stage where boats leave daily for Montisola, the largest island in a lake in Europe and for all the other ports of call on Lake Iseo.

After a 10 minute walk on the cycle lane – footpath you can reach the town of Lovere which has been awarded with the title of fifth most beautiful borough in the whole of Italy and here you can take a boat for a night-time cruise on the lake!

For sports enthusiasts, the area hosts a number of interesting events of national importance such as the Sarnico – Lovere RUN, the Triathlon of Lovere, Lake Moro and Franciacorta, the Swim Challenge & Swim Race Iseo Lake, Loreto island and Moro Lake, the Remo Marathon, the TrentaPassi SkyRace and VerticalRace and many others. Furthermore, within a 500-metre radius, you can find cycle lanes and tracks, specialised sports centres, itineraries and organised activities for:

Cycling: cycle hire and itineraries (Lake Iseo tour, Toline-Vello, tour of Montisola, …)

Mountain walks

Canoes and canoeing

Wind-surf and sailing boats: AVAS, SportAction, Bersaglio

Climbing gym and natural rock climbing

Wake-board and water-skiing

Swimming

Tennis

Motorbike and car hire

Ski lovers can enjoy various ski circuits and snow parks where they can practise downhill skiing, cross-country or Nordic skiing, Alpine skiing, snowboarding, snow-shoe trekking, ice climbing with crampons, snowmobiles and all the other snow sports:

Monte Campione: 20 minutes

Presolana - Monte Pora: 30 minutes

Spiazzi di Gromo: 40 minutes

Lizzola: 40 minutes

Colere: 40 minutes

Schilpario: 40 minutes

Borno (Monte Altissimo): 40 minutes

Adamello Ski (Temù, Ponte di Legno, Passo del Tonale, Presena Glacier): 70 minutes

Even visitors who appreciate Art and Culture will not be disappointed as there are plenty of opportunities to see buildings, monuments and sights of great historical worth such as the old parish church of San Giacomo (today deconsecrated), the main church of Castro (built in 1969 and today studied by many architects for its single vault bay without columns!), the church of the Natività di Maria Santissima (built in 12th and 13th centuries and extended in the 1500s), or the little church of San Lorenzo (built in 12th century in Romanesque style) that can be reached both from the main road, or from alternative paths that lead up from the lake to the higher part of the village known as the “Rocca”. A couple of kilometres further on, visitors come to Galleria Tadini, historical frescoed churches such as the Basilica di Santa Maria in Valvendra, the church of San Giorgio, the Convent of San Maurizio of the Capuchin friars, the Sanctuary of Sante Gerosa and Capitanio and the Sanctuary of San Giovanni on Monte Cala, just in the neighbourhood of Lovere alone. Lying behind the lake in Val Borlezza, we can find the Sanctuary of Madonna della Torre in Sovere, or by continuing to Pisogne on the opposite side of the lake, there is Santa Maria della Neve; the Monastery of Bienno lies a few kilometres up Valle Camonica where you can also visit the UNESCO heritage sites, such as the Rock Carvings; another enjoyable experience awaits visitors to the underground museums on the sites of the mines in the Parco Miniere in Schilpario where you are taken round on little wagons and trains, or the Museo delle Miniere in Valtrompia.

Particular mention should be made this year of the extraordinary presence and activity on or territory of Cristo, the important artist of international acclaim who specialises in land art and whose works are performed on a great scale.

Following the itineraries that start from the village of Castro, country lovers will find perfect paths for them leading up to a panorama that will leave them speechless and enchanted, where rocks, gorges, flora and fauna will be revealed in a pure, uncontaminated habitat. In Castro itself, you can visit the well-known Parco della Gola del Tinazzo (Tinazzo gorge) while in nearby Lovere, there is the Natural Science Museum; just a few minutes away is the Nature Reserve of the Valle del Freddo where you can discover the flora and fauna typical of high and very high altitudes at a height of just 350 metres a.s.l.; just before this reserve, in the Parco dei Laghi Fossili in Sovere, visitors can walk on the site of a fossil lake that dates back to 800,000 years ago and is known throughout the world as the Archivio Naturale di Pianico-Sellere. Further attractions are the Stelvio National Park and the Adamello Park at the top of the Valle Camonica and Valle dei Segni.

Not only can you discover our land with your eyes, but also with your palate, as a gourmet experience awaits you that will contribute towards making your stay unique: by tasting our delicacies you will be able to enjoy a very special perspective of our food and wine culture.

Extremely high quality products ranging from the Olive Oil and the sparkling wines of Franciacorta, the cheeses from the Valle Camonica and Val Seriana, the freshwater fish from the lake, the olives from Montisola, the honey from our woods to the traditional stuffed Casoncelli alla Bergamasca pasta, all of which are mouth-wateringly delicious!

Finally, as fas as ENTERTAINMENT is concerned for old and young alike, you are spoilt for choice. The swimming pools in Lovere are within walking distance from B&B Iseo Lake; Boario Adventure Park in the Parco delle Terme in Darfo Boario is just a 15-minute drive away; the Bergamo Parco Avventura in Roncola; Parco Avventura in Pineta alle Fiorine in Clusone is 15 minutes from Lake Iseo; or the treetop adventure at the Parco Sospeso in the wood in Spiazzi di Gromo, where you can also try archery, use the bike park, have a go at parkour and eat at a table in the treetops …. several metres above the ground! AcquaRè in Rovato di Franciacorta offers 15,000 sq. m. of water fun on the other side of the lake; Adventure Land in Borno, in Val Camonica; Gardaland and Gardaland Sea Life Aquarium are located on nearby Lake Garda and are perhaps the most famous theme parks in Italy; Leolandia is close to Bergamo and has about 40 attractions, one of them being Peppa Pig; AcquaSplash in Cortefranca di Franciacorta has 700 metres of exciting water slides, but also peaceful areas for mums and children; Centro Multi Sport Sassabanek, on the Brescia shore of the lake is also an excellent solution for a fun day out; and what about the Prehistoric Park in Rivolta d'Adda? Just over an hour away by car, here you can leap back millions of years...; or there is the Animal Park Le Cornelle di Valbrembo, if you want to stay in the area of Bergamo; or the Parco Natura Viva in Bussolengo, just a short distance from Lake Garda, where you can learn about the environment and help to protect endangered species.

The list could go on, but we think we have said enough to whet your appetite…. so we will stop here, although we should also mention the fun that everyone can have, beginners and professionals alike, with the water sports at our Centres where we have special tariffs and which are only a short walk from B&B Iseo Lake. There is also the Soft Air experience at the nearby sports ground, the excitement of horse-riding at the various stables in the area, the adrenaline-filled Rafting in Val Brembana and the Torrentissimo and Canyoning in Val Seriana!

It is impossible to sum up a whole world in just a few lines ….. so we look forward to welcoming you to Castro to offer you all the magic that this village and this area has to offer you!

…. just a taste of what you are missing if you don’t book …..;)