Lessinia, Lake Garda, and Veronese Countryside

<< Veneto

Just north of Verona is a mountainous region known as Lessinia, which includes the famous wine-making area of Valpolicella, and various other landmarks. The Province of Verona also includes the eastern shore of Lake Garda, dotted with several beautiful towns. South of Verona is instead a vast rural area.

Soave

Soave is a town located halfway between Verona and Vicenza. It was already inhabited during the Roman period and a military post in the Middle Ages. Now it is famous for its castle and the local Soave wine.

✪ Scaliger Castle of Soave

The Scaliger Castle (Castello Scaligero) is a large fortified complex in Soave, erected in the 13th century. Despite the name, it was built before the times of the signoria, and only later expanded by the Scaligers. The well preserved structure dominates over the town and it is connected with the medieval walls that completely surround the city center of Soave, adorned with towers and three city gates.

Bolca

Bolca is a village located among the mountains of the Province of Verona, part of the municipality of Vestenanova. It is famous for the large amount of incredibly well-preserved marine fossils found in the area, which was under the ocean floor millions of years ago, and has been uplifted by the formation of the Alps.

Museum of the Fossils of Bolca

The Museum of the Fossils of Bolca (Museo dei Fossili di Bolca) hosts a collection of interesting fossils unearthed in the area around the town, with exhibits that display the evolution of the local environment. Part of the museum is also the Pesciara, an excavation site on the nearby mountain where exceptionally well-preserved marine fossils have been found.

San Giorgio di Valpolicella

San Giorgio di Valpolicella is a tiny village part of the municipality of Sant’Ambrogio di Valpolicella. Due to its medieval atmosphere and spectacular position on a hill overlooking Lake Garda, it is regarded as one of the most beautiful towns of the Province of Verona.

Pieve of San Giorgio di Valpolicella

Also known as: Pieve of San Giorgio Ingannapoltron

The Pieve of San Giorgio di Valpolicella is a Romanesque church ranked among the best examples of such architecture in the Province of Verona. This was originally a Lombard religious building in the Early Middle Ages, later reworked in the 12th century. Adjacent to the church there is a small archaeological museum.

Spiazzi

Spiazzi is a tiny hamlet on the slopes of Monte Baldo, a mountain range in the Alps near Lake Garda. It forms part of the municipality of Caprino Veronese.

✪ Sanctuary of Madonna della Corona

The Sanctuary of Madonna della Corona is a spectacular church perched on the side of a mountain near Spiazzi. The complex originated as a hermitage during the Late Middle Ages, and it was expanded several times with a church inaugurated in 1680 and the final restoration only being completed in 1988. Due to its peculiar position, the sanctuary offers breathtaking views over the surrounding valleys and mountains.

Malcesine

Malcesine is a town located along the eastern shores of Lake Garda. It was already inhabited in ancient times, and it has hosted a fortress at least since the Early Middle Ages. Once its military importance was lost, Malcesine became a popular tourist destination and now its beautiful landscape is a major attraction.

✪ Scaliger Castle of Malcesine

The Scaliger Castle of Malcesine (Castello Scaligero di Malcesine) is a fortified complex perched on a cliff above Lake Garda. It was initially built by the Lombards in the Early Middle Ages, and later destroyed, rebuilt, and expanded, with its current appearance dating from the 13th and 14th century. The castle became famous in the 19th century after Goethe described it in his book Italian Journey, and it has since been a popular tourist attraction. Now it hosts a museum with halls dedicated to the writer and to local history and life.

Torri del Benaco

Torri del Benaco is a small town located on the shores of Lake Garda, north of Garda. For centuries just a tiny village, it became relevant in the Late Middle Ages as one of the most important fortified positions on the lake.

Scaliger Castle of Torri del Benaco

The Scaliger Castle of Torri del Benaco (Castello Scaligero di Torri del Benaco) probably has its origins in a Roman fortification, later expanded several times. The current structure mostly dates from the 14th century. Abandoned for a long time, it was recently restored and turned into a museum of local history which also hosts a greenhouse for lemons and other citrus fruits.

Garda

Garda is a small town of the eastern shore of Lake Garda, famous for giving its name to the entire lake. It was founded probably in the Early Middle Ages, when it was already noted for its strategic position between two mountains that stand along the shoreline. For centuries Garda was the most important city in the area, and now it is a renowned tourist destination, with its charming old town and beautiful landscape.

✪ Punta San Vigilio

Punta San Vigilio is a small promontory on Lake Garda located just outside Garda. The area is famous for its incredible vistas over the lake, among a beautiful natural environment. Punta San Vigilio also features a large villa, and a park with a beach known as Baia delle Sirene (“Bay of the Mermaids”).

Lazise

Lazise is a town on the eastern shore of Lake Garda, and a popular tourist attraction thanks to its beautiful landscape, charming atmosphere, and the various amusement parks located nearby. Lazise was already a relevant center in Roman times, but it rose to prominence in the Middle Ages. In 983, the town was granted a series of special privileges by the Holy Roman Emperor, making it arguably the first comune of Italy. After a period of independence, it came under the rule of Verona, and it followed the history of the rest of the province until today.

✪ Gardaland

Gardaland is a large amusement park located between the municipalities of Lazise and Castelnuovo del Garda, near Peschiera del Garda and the shores of Lake Garda. Opened in 1975, it has grown to become the most visited theme park in Italy and one of the busiest in Europe. The park includes several attractions, some hotels, an aquarium, and more.

Scaliger Castle of Lazise

Lazise still retains to this day most of its ancient medieval walls that surround the town almost completely and are adorned with towers and city gates. The Scaliger Castle (Castello Scaligero) is connected to these walls and it was built in the 14th century by expanding the previous fortifications. The castle is surrounded by gardens that go all the way to the shores of Lake Garda.

Lazise Promenade

The promenade of Lazise, running along the shores of Lake Garda, is famous for its charming beauty. It starts from the small port near the Scaliger Castle, which hosts the ancient border position known as Dogana Veneta, now used to host events. The promenade then goes north along the shoreline and it offers amazing views of Lake Garda.

Peschiera del Garda

Peschiera del Garda is a city located on the southern shore of Lake Garda, at the point where the Mincio river comes out of the lake. It was originally a Roman town and it became an important military post in the Late Middle Ages, thanks to its strategic position. Peschiera del Garda retained its importance until the 19th century, when it was a fundamental part of the Austrian defensive system between Veneto and Lombardy, but it ultimately became part of Italy in 1866.

✪ Fortress of Peschiera del Garda

The Fortress of Peschiera del Garda is a system of fortifications occupying the islands on the spot where Lake Garda ends and the Mincio rivers begins. The current fortress was built in the 15th century by the Venetians, reworking some previous structures. It was later expanded various times, especially under the Austrian rule in the 19th century, when it became the most important fortress in the area. It includes numerous military buildings, along with historic bridges, gates, and ramparts.

Valeggio sul Mincio

Valeggio sul Mincio is a town in the Po Valley located along the Mincio river, at the border between Veneto and Lombardy. It was founded in the Middle Ages and it had a strategic importance for centuries due to its position, but now is a mainly agricultural center.

✪ Borghetto

Borghetto is a tiny village adjacent to Valeggio sul Mincio, located on the Mincio river. It is famous for its watermills and the beautiful environment created by the buildings facing the river. A great view of Borghetto can be enjoyed from the Ponte Visconteo, a fortified dam built in 1393 that stands just in front of the tiny hamlet.

✪ Parco Giardino Sigurtà

Parco Giardino Sigurtà is a large garden and natural park considered to be among the most beautiful in Europe. The lush park is famous for its gorgeous environment, with the main attractions being its hedge maze and millions of flowers, but it also includes various lakes, ponds, and historic trees.

Scaliger Castle of Valeggio sul Mincio

The Scaliger Castle of Valeggio sul Mincio (Castello Scaligero di Valeggio sul Mincio) was built in the 13th century on a strategically important position along the Mincio river. After the domains of Verona became part of the Republic of Venice in 1405, the castle was abandoned and only restored in the 20th century.

Custoza

Custoza is a village in the Province of Verona which is part of the municipality of Sommacampagna. It is famous for being the site of two important battles during the Italian Wars of Independence.

Ossuary of Custoza

The Ossuary of Custoza (Ossario di Custoza) is a war memorial in Custoza, on the site of two battles of the Italian Risorgimento, fought in 1848 and 1866. The monument hosts the remains of soldiers who died in the Italian Wars of Independence and it was inaugurated in 1879.

Villafranca di Verona

Villafranca di Verona is a town located southwest of Verona and it originated as a military post in the Middle Ages. The city was again military important during the Italian Risorgimento and it was the site where the Armistice of Villafranca was signed in 1859, ending the Second War of Italian Independence.

Scaliger Castle of Villafranca di Verona

The well-preserved Scaliger Castle of Villafranca di Verona (Castello Scaligero di Villafranca di Verona) was built in the 12th century and it was at the time one of the most important fortresses in the territory ruled by Verona. Later abandoned, it was restored in the 19th and 20th centuries, and now its gardens are used as a venue for concerts and events.