HIDDEN TREASURES

Venetian walls in Peschiera del Garda

Today Venice is ‘merely’ the capital of a region in Italy, but once it was the capital of an Empire that extended to the Eastern Mediterranean and in Italy. Like the Romans, even the Venetians used to create mighty fortifications just after conquering a stronghold... Even today these mighty walls are a testimony to Venetian power. Peschiera del Garda is one of the places where you can admire one of these fortifications, recently included by UNESCO in the List of World Heritage Sites. In the fifteenth century Peschiera's fortress passed under the control of the Republic of Venice, which decided to renew the existing fortifications entrusting the work to the famous architect Michele Sanmicheli. The new fortified 'modern wall' followed the course of the medieval one, with five sides and five corners protected by bastions. Along the perimeter there were also open two gates, Porta Verona and Porta Brescia, placed in the direction of the roads leading to the two major cities. Around the middle of the sixteenth century, the Scaligera fortress was modified and submerged to fit it with new firearms. In the seventeenth century important restoration works took place and later, with the Treaty of Campoformio of 1797, the fortress of Peschiera passed under the rule of the Austrian Empire, which provided for its modernization: it became one of the four forts to form the famous square that joins Legnago, Mantua and Verona. Lastly, after passing in Italian hands, following the Third Independence War (1866), the fortress lost its strategic importance. If you are planning a vacation in Verona and Lake Garda, do not forget to pay a visit to Peschiera!