Description of the attraction
Lonato del Garda is located midway between Milan and Venice on the southwestern shore of Lake Garda. Until 2007, it was simply called Lonato. With its picturesque landscapes, numerous historical and artistic monuments, Roman ruins, a medieval castle, baroque churches and modern museums, the city has become a popular holiday destination among residents of northern Italy.
The first settlements discovered on the territory of modern Lonato belong to the Bronze Age - these are the remains of pile dwellings found in the towns of Polada and Lavagnon. According to some scholars, the name of the city comes from the Celtic word "bosom", which means "small lake". In the era of ancient Rome, the Basilica Emilia road passed through Lonato, connecting Gaul with Aquileia. Artifacts of those times were found near Mount Mario and in the town of Pozzo.
In 909, the city was completely destroyed during the invasion of the barbarians, after which a powerful castle was built in its place and a new, fortified settlement was founded. Despite this, in the following centuries, Lonato was destroyed and rebuilt more than once. In 1512, it was here that the French king Louis XII, who invaded Italy, placed his residence. And after just a couple of years, Lonato became part of the Venetian Republic, which he remained until 1796 - the year of Napoleon's appearance. Well, in the middle of the 19th century, the city joined the united Italy.
Today, in the very center of Lonato, you can see the Rocca di Lonato castle, which is about a thousand years old! Now it houses an ornithological museum. Also noteworthy is the Palazzo del Podesta, built in the second half of the 15th century, with an extensive library containing more than 52 thousand old books. An interesting exhibit of the library is one of the smallest books in the world measuring only 15 * 9 mm - this is a letter from Galileo Galilei to a certain Cristina di Lorena. Lonato's main square, Piazza Martiri della Liberta, houses the Town Hall, the Venetian Column, the 19th century Baroque Cathedral of San Giovanni Battista and the 55-meter Clock Tower. And outside the city center, it is worth exploring the Roman ruins at Fornacci, the Maguzzano Abbey, the Drugolo castle and the churches of Madonna di San Martino, San Cipriano and San Zeno.
