The much-photographed yellow ochre Casa or Casetta del Dazio, an early-18th century former Austrian toll house or customs post at the harbour entrance to Torbole sul Garda, Trentino-Alto Adige, Italy, reflected in early morning summer sunshine in the gently rippling waters of Lake Garda.
Torbole sul Garda, Trentino-Alto Adige, Italy: the Casa or Casetta del Dazio, a former Austrian customs post or toll house, stands alone on a pier at the entrance to the harbour of this small but once strategically important frontier port near the northern tip of the Lago di Garda. In this early morning image captured in July, the Casa del Dazio's yellow ochre walls, green shutters and displays of red geraniums are reflected in placid Garda waters ruffled by a light breeze. Following a period of control by Venice in the 15th century, Torbole and its surroundings were incorporated into the Hapsburg Austrian Empire. The customs house was built by Vienna in the early 18th century to deter smuggling and to levy duty or tolls on goods crossing the border. It lost its role after the 1914-18 First World War, when Torbole reverted to the Kingdom of Italy, but more recently has been taken over by Tonelli Hotels, which has carefully restored it and opened it to the public. After periods as a fishing, farming and mountaineering community, Torbole sul Garda, part of the Nago-Torbole comune or municipality, now thrives as an international water sports centre, with sailors, kiteboarders and windsurfers taking advantage of winds that blow at different times of day up and down the northern reaches of the lake. The Peler north wind starts blowing before dawn and continues until late morning, while the Ora south wind starts at noon and blows until early evening.
Size: 2000px × 3008px
Location: Torbole sul Garda, Lake Garda, Trentino-Alto Adige, Italy.
Photo credit: © Terence Kerr / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
Keywords: 1700s, 18th, adige, austria, austrian, austro-italian, background, baldo, border, built, calm, casa, casetta, century, comune, customs, , dazio, del, di, display, district, duty, early, empire, europe, european, floral, garda, geraniums, green, hapsburg, harbour, harbours, house, italian, italy, july, kerr, lago, lake, lakes, monte, morning, nago-torbole, northern, ochre, peaceful, pier, placid, post, province, quayside, red, reflected, reflection, renovated, restored, ripples, rippling, shutters, smuggling, sul, sunshine, terence, tollhouse, tolls, torbole, trentino, trentino-alto, trento, walls, waterfront, wharf, yellow
