Garda Lake Events: Rally and “Bisagoga” Running Race in Salò

In Salò, the month of March begins with the Garda Lake rally and the “Bisagoga”. The motor racing event is promoted by Auto Consult & Competition of Asola and sponsored by the local municipality’s Sports Department, led by Gabriele Cominotti. Now in its 15th edition and dedicated to Roberto Puzzolo, it will take place entirely today. From 8 a.m. to 11 a.m., competitors (around 150 cars expected) will have their technical inspections in the area in front of the Gs shopping center in Cunettone, kindly provided by director Luca Verpelli.

The first start is scheduled at 2 p.m., from Piazza Vittoria along the waterfront. The finish line is expected to be at the same location at 8 p.m. “This is an important event,” explains Cominotti. “Last year, it generated remarkable enthusiasm, both among the audience and the drivers, who could enjoy the stunning scenery of the gulf.”

The awards ceremony for competitors will be held tomorrow in the city hall council chamber, starting at 9:30 a.m. Also tomorrow, the “Bisagoga”, a non-competitive ten-kilometer run (for adults) or four kilometers (for children), organized by the Gruppo Alpini, with sponsorship from the local government and the Comunità Montana Parco Alto Garda, will take place.

A classic event that, like the Milano-Sanremo cycling race, marks the transition from winter to spring and, in a way, the changing of seasons. Now in its 29th edition, the “Bisagoga” — which in dialect means “zigzagging” — is the oldest walk on the lake, invented during the oil crisis when cars could not be used on Sundays.

In 2000, registered participants numbered 1,574, but the record was set in 1997 when the two-thousand mark was surpassed. The start is at 9 a.m. from Fossa bottom, at the beginning of the lakeside promenade. Participants will head toward the suggestive Sanctuary of Madonna del Rio, where a rich refreshment station will be set up by Conca d’Oro.

At the finish line, the fragrant brioches of Artigianpane. There will be children, teenagers, mothers, fathers, grandparents. It is heartwarming to see parents, who attended from the earliest editions as children, now starting off with their own children. At the end, everyone will receive an exclusive leather blade.

Thanks to the generous collaboration of organizations and companies, there will also be an extensive prize-giving for groups, divided among residents of the Garda hinterland, locals, and schools. Among the trophies, we remember those dedicated to the memory of some fallen Alpini (Giandolfo Carzeri, Franco De Rossi, Giacomo Piccinelli), who dedicated much of their energy to solidarity initiatives and deserve respectful remembrance.

Registrations are accepted until half an hour before the start. For more information, call Dino Comini at the shoe store on Via S. Carlo (0365-20517 or 22395), Marino Zanca at Evinrude service, on Via Muro (43476), or enologist Giuseppe Piotti on Via Garibaldi (40080).