Rilke Promenade
Hiking trail • Garda Trentino and Valle di Ledro
Rilke Promenade
<p>A literary stroll in the shadow of Arco Castle, following in the footsteps of the great Austrian poet Rainer Maria Rilke, who drew inspiration from these surroundings. </p>
<p>In the second half of the 19th century, Arco became renowned throughout the Austro-Hungarian Empire and beyond as a<strong> “Kurort”</strong>. The healthy, windy climate, Mediterranean but not excessively hot, allowed this peripheral little town to flourish as a health resort and holiday destination for members of the House of Habsburg and the nobility of Central Europe. The most prominent figure was <strong>Archduke Albrecht of Teschen</strong>, who had a great villa built in Arco which is famous for its gardens, the Parco Arciducale, now a botanic gardens open to the public.</p> <p>Thanks to its reputation as a pleasant and exclusive health resort, Arco attracted a select clientele. Illustrious visitors included the poet <strong>Rainer Maria Rilke</strong>, who as a young man towards the turn of the century stayed there on a number of occasions and wrote some of his early poems here. The trail passes a number of places which inspired him or which are mentioned in his correspondence with his friend Nora Goudstikker.</p>
