Le Città del Miele in Lazise celebrated its 25th anniversary on Tuesday 22 September 2026, marking a quarter-century of the national honey association founded on the eastern shores of Lake Garda to protect native bees, promote territorial honeys, and sustain rural biodiversity.
Established in 2001 in Lazise—famed historically as Italy’s first free municipality following the imperial charter granted by Emperor Otto II in 983—the organization has grown into a prestigious nationwide federation uniting fifty-two municipalities across eighteen Italian regions, representing roughly 400,000 citizens. During the anniversary ceremony hosted in the municipal council hall, Mayor Damiano Bergamini and Association President Jean Claude Daudry unveiled three strategic educational projects for 2026–2027: the Scuola Apiarius professional academy in collaboration with the University of Camerino, the inaugural European Alpine Honey Competition, and a nationwide creative narrative program for primary and middle schools.
Garda Monofloral Honeys and Monte Baldo Terroir
Lake Garda’s southeastern basin offers a unique ecological convergence where Mediterranean botanical species interlock with the sub-Alpine microclimates of Monte Baldo. This rich botanical variety enables local beekeepers to produce exceptional monofloral honeys characterized by intense aromatics and high purity.
Among the most prized varieties harvested across the morainic hills around Lazise, Bardolino, and Peschiera is light, delicate acacia honey (miele di acacia), alongside spring dandelion honey (tarassaco). Higher up the western slopes of Monte Baldo, ancient sweet chestnut orchards yield robust, mineral-rich chestnut honey (miele di castagno), traditionally served alongside aged Monte Veronese DOP cheese and drizzled over toasted rustic bread during the autumn harvest season outlined in our guide to Lake Garda in autumn.
Countdown to the 47th National Honey Days at Dogana Veneta
The 25th-anniversary milestone sets the stage for the 47th edition of I Giorni del Miele (National Honey Days), taking place from Thursday 1 to Sunday 4 October 2026. Held along the historic lakefront promenade and inside the monumental fourteenth-century Dogana Veneta—the Venetian customs house standing guard over the Old Port—the exposition represents Italy’s oldest and most significant beekeeping fair.
The four-day gathering attracts professional apiarists, university researchers, and gastronomic tourists from across Europe. Visitors can attend guided sensory tasting workshops, purchase certified honeys from every Italian bio-region, and inspect modern observation hives. As an essential entry on the autumn calendar of Lake Garda, the fair underscores Lazise’s enduring leadership in pollinator conservation and sustainable agricultural tourism.
