Walk: the estate lanes
Twenty-five hectares of olive trees, fruit trees, small lakes and woodland, with farm tracks running through them. Good for an hour before breakfast, and the truffle ground is on the way.
Explore
Outdoor Activities
Hills and trails start at the gate. Eight kilometres downhill, Lake Garda turns the day into sailing, wakeboarding or a boat you drive yourself — and the mountain behind it climbs to 2,200 m. One local rule worth knowing: the lake winds run to a schedule, with mornings flat and calm for paddling and towed sports, and the Ora filling in from the south each afternoon for sail, windsurf and wing. Everything here is something you do; the towns, vineyards and family days out have their own page.
From the gate
Easy hike: Monte Moscal (Affi)
A scenic circular loop with panoramic lake views. Start in Affi to skip the lake traffic — fine for most fitness levels with good footwear.
Cycling: the Affi–Rivoli–Caprino path
Cavallina sits directly on the DueXQuattro cycle trail — car-free, gently graded, and the easiest way to see the moraine hills and the Napoleonic forts at Rivoli. E-bikes rent in Affi and Caprino.
Trail running: the moraine loops
The Rivoli moraine ridges give rolling, shaded loops on dirt with no traffic and long views over the Val d’Adige. Best early — the hills hold the heat in July and August.
On the lake
Wakeboard, waterski & wakesurf
Towed behind a wakeboat from the base at Lazise, on the calm morning water before the Ora wind fills in. Beginner lessons through to advanced sessions. Book the early slot — the lake is glass until about eleven.
E-foil, flyboard & parasailing
The same Lazise base runs electric hydrofoil boards — silent, and easier to learn than they look — plus flyboard, parasailing and towed tubes for teenagers who want the loud version.
Windsurfing
The north lake is one of the most reliable windsurf classrooms in Europe: the Pelér blows from the north at dawn, the Ora from the south each afternoon, almost to a timetable. Schools at Torbole and Malcesine run beginner courses with all kit included.
Wing foil
The fastest-growing sport on the lake and the friendliest to learn — the Ora’s steady afternoon pressure is close to ideal. Two- and three-day beginner courses; no windsurf background needed.
Kitesurfing
Kiting is restricted to two designated spots on Garda — Campione on the Brescia shore and Navene north of Malcesine — both club-controlled. The schools there handle membership, launch and shuttle. A dedicated day out rather than an afternoon.
Sailing: schools and courses
Garda’s twin daily winds make it a teaching lake, and the clubs know it: dinghy and catamaran courses for adults and children, from a two-hour taster to a full week.
Sailing: out with a skipper
No course and no licence — a skippered yacht or catamaran out of Bardolino for a half day, usually with a swim stop and an aperitivo as the Ora drops. The most popular thing we book for couples.
Rent a boat — no licence needed
Small motorboats can be driven without a licence. Take one to the bay at Punta San Vigilio, or across to Sirmione for lunch. Half day or full day; passports and a deposit at pick-up.
Kayak & canoe
Rentals by the hour along the eastern shore, and guided dawn paddles under the cliffs at Punta San Vigilio when the lake is still. Quiet and good with older children.
Stand-up paddle
Boards rent by the hour on every beach between Lazise and Garda. Go before ten — after that the Ora arrives and the flat water is gone.
Diving
Freshwater diving with visibility that surprises people: drop-offs, sunken boats and the odd Roman amphora. Centres run try-dives for beginners as well as full courses.
Swimming: where to actually go
Skip the crowded town fronts. The bays at Punta San Vigilio, the Baia delle Sirene and the quiet stretches south of Cisano are where locals swim. And there is the pool here, if the drive is not worth it.
Rivers & gorges
Rafting: the Adige gorge
The gorge where the Adige squeezes between cliffs below the Rivoli forts, fifteen minutes from the gate. Gentle white water — three sets of waves rather than rapids — with guides, wetsuits and a shuttle back.
Rafting: through Verona
Eight and a half kilometres down the Adige through the middle of Verona: under Ponte Pietra, past Castelvecchio, the city seen from the water. Two hours paddling, about three with the shuttle. Fine for young children. Book ahead.
Canyoning: Vajo dell’Orsa Minore
Abseils, jumps and natural water slides down a limestone gorge on the flank of Monte Baldo, with certified guides and all equipment. Half a day; no experience needed, but a head for heights helps.
Canyoning: Rio Palvico
The sporting one — bigger jumps, longer abseils, cold clear water. A full day and a proper drive, but it is the route people talk about afterwards.
Up on the mountain
Paragliding: tandem off Monte Baldo
Run off the meadow at 1,700 m strapped to a pilot and fly down to the lakeshore — fifteen to twenty-five minutes in the air with the northern lake underneath. No experience and no fitness required.
Easy hike: Monte Baldo — the ridge walk
From the top of the cable car at 1,760 m, an almost level walk along the crest with about 260 m of climbing — the gentlest way to stand on the mountain.
Moderate hike: Monte Baldo — Cima Pozzette
Trail 651 climbs the ridge over stones and low rock to the summit cross at 2,125 m, about 400 m of ascent.
Challenging hike: Monte Baldo — the peaks
Around 800 m of ascent to 2,218 m, short cabled sections, and no water on the way.
Challenging hike: Monte Baldo — Sentiero del Ventrar
A kilometre of narrow, exposed path with steel cables. Graded EE by the Italian Alpine Club: sure footing and no fear of heights.
Via ferrata delle Taccole
Vertical, athletic and exposed — under an hour on the cable, a full day with the approach.
Rock climbing: Sengio Rosso & Ceraino
Two well-bolted limestone crags almost on the doorstep, with routes from beginner grades upward. Guides in Verona run half-day introductions with all the gear, and both crags face the sun — which makes them a good cool-season alternative to the lake.
Mountain biking: Monte Baldo descents
Take the bike up the cable car and ride down — flowing forest trails on the eastern side, technical lines on the west. Guided descents, shuttles, full-suspension and e-MTB rental all run from Malcesine.
E-bike: up to the Baldo meadows
Guided e-bike days climb from the moraine hills to the high pastures at 1,300 m — around 1,000 m of ascent, with the motor doing the arguing. Rentals in Affi, Caprino and Costermano.
Moderate hike: Rocca di Garda
Up through woods, vineyards and old farmhouses to the wooded bluff above Garda town, with the lake on three sides. Park at Garda or San Vigilio. Not pram-friendly.
Moderate hike: Busatte–Tempesta
Four hundred steel steps cut into the cliff between Torbole and Tempesta, hanging directly over the water — some of the widest views on the lake. Worth the drive; combine it with a windsurf day at Torbole.
Riding, golf & tennis
Horse riding
Hour-long rides and half-day treks through the Monte Baldo foothills from a ranch just up the road, with horses matched to beginners. Ask for the lake-view route.
Golf
Ca’ degli Ulivi is fifteen minutes away — 27 holes on terraces above Garda, with olive trees and the lake below on most of the back nine. Chervò San Vigilio, over at Pozzolengo near Sirmione, is the 36-hole championship option. Book tee times ahead from April to October.
Tennis
There is a court on the estate. Rackets and balls at the house.
Photos: Cavallina Retreat, plus Wikimedia Commons and Flickr/Openverse (CC BY / CC BY-SA / public domain) — Monte Moscal © Cadria · Rivoli Veronese © Dguendel · Rocca di Garda © 29C · Monte Baldo ridge and north face © Katzwiekatzkann · Cima delle Pozzette and Cima Valdritta © Dguendel · the Val d’Adige cycle path © Davide Mauro · stand-up paddle © Syrio · windsurfing at Torbole © Benreis · Malcesine harbour © Uwe Häntsch · Bardolino and the Monte Baldo meadows © Adert · diving © Georg Wenzel · the Adige gorge © Jost Gudelius · the Adige in Verona © trolvag · Val di Ledro © Markus G. Klötzer · paragliding off Monte Baldo © Lothar Weber · the Lazise harbour © Tony Hisgett · Punta San Vigilio and the eFoil on Garda © Falk2 · the via ferrata above Mori © Martin from Tyrol · the Busatte–Tempesta steps © Giorgio Galeotti · wing foil © Arnaud 25 · sport climbing © Mænsard vokser · canyoning © Loriano Lucchesi · wakeboarding © Jason Ippolito · kitesurfing © Guilhem Vellut · kayaking © Glacier National Park (NPS) · mountain biking © Zach Dischner. Those last seven show the activity rather than the exact spot, as do the horse riding and golf stock photos (Pexels)
Ready when you are
Come back to a quiet courtyard
Everything on this page is within an hour of the gate, and most of it within twenty minutes. The rooms, the pool and the olive terraces are what the day starts and ends with.
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