On Sun, 7 Oct 2012, Surreyman wrote:

to Riva (extreme north and, in fact, in the Tyrol!).

Sorry but this is incorrect.
The constitutional administrative division of Italy is in Regions and
Provinces (and Communes)

5 of the Regions have, constitutionally, a "special statute". Two are
islands (Sicily and Sardinia) and three are near the borders (Valle
d'Aosta, Friuli Venezia Giulia and Trentino Alto Adige). In the latter
three in PART of the territory there is a bilingual regime (in the
sense that respectively French, Slovenian and German are used for
official acts).

In the case of Trentino Alto Adige, the region (according to a bilateral
treaty between Italy and Austria) is divided in two "autonomous
provinces" (in this particular case the provinces have more power than
the regions. for instance the Regional Assembly is not elected, but
formed by the two joint Provincial Assemblies).

The (autonomous) province of Trento correspond to the part called
"Trentino" and is exclusively of italian language. The (autonomous)
province of Bolzano/Bozen correspond to the part called "Alto Adige /
Südtirol" and is bilingual (actually trilingual, citizens have to
declare whether they belong to the German, Italian, or Ladin group).

"Tirol" instead is a Bundesland (federated unit) of Austria (capital
Innsbrück).

Riva del Garda is in the province of Trento, so not even in Südtirol.

You might hear lot of people speaking German there (but also in the rest
of the Garda shores, even the Lombard or Venetian parts), but they are
tourists !