Lonato Castle

Lonato, Italy

The Lonato medieval castle 'La Rocca' rises on a hill which dominates the southern part of Lake Garda and is one of the most impressive castles in all of Lombardy. Set inland, overlooking the ancient town of Lonato, the Rocca is an imposing structure nearly 180 meters long and 45 meters wide, complete with drawbridge!

Throughout the years and centuries, Lonato del Garda was ruled by various peoples and families who fought each other over the fortified town which had a strategically important defense tower. The fortress belonged to the counts of Montichiari, the Scaliger family, and in 1376 it was the Visconti who expanded the fortified walls to protect the entire town. Today, the medieval Rocca of Lonato houses the town’s ornithology museum, “Gustavo Carlotto”.

References:

blinktravel.guide

Address

Largo Papa 17, Lonato, Italy

See all sites in Lonato

Details

Founded: 10th century AD
Category: Castles and fortifications in Italy

More Information

www.roccadilonato.it

Rating

4.5/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby

Desenzano Castle (4,1 km)
Desenzano Roman Villa (4,2 km)

Santa Maria Maggiore Church (10 km)
Sirmione Castle (10,1 km)
Sant'Agata Church (22,5 km)
Loggia dei Militi (51,5 km)
Cremona Baptistery (51,4 km)
Piazza della Loggia (22,4 km)
Broletto Palace (22,3 km)
Cremona Cathedral (51,4 km)
Rocca Castle (54,4 km)

User Reviews

Rolf Schillinger (2 years ago)
Very nice surroundings and apparently a really interesting museum inside it. Sadly, we managed to pick the first day of winter schedule for our visit, so the museum was closed. We'll return in spring :)

Kay Ess (2 years ago)
Good for a walk around but expensive to enter. Tickets are 8 euros adult 4 kids. You can park nearby at the the top of Via Fantini. There are views of the lake from the bottom of the ramparts. A good place to begin a visit to the town.

Nina Melnic (2 years ago)
Very well maintained place, with nice panorama around and nice birds exposition in. But not too much to see if you're interested in more historical pieces of art... as well I saw there is possible to celebrate festivities.

Stian van der Meeren (3 years ago)
Amazing place! Such a beautiful place to host a wedding aswell

Richard Peake (3 years ago)
A beautiful venue for a wedding. Amazing views of the surrounding countryside and of course the Lake. The main reception hall is air-conditioned

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Finest Norman castles in Italy

Exploring the History of Northern Poland

Discovering Slovenia's Historic Wonders

Photo from Flickr, copyright discopalace

Historic Site of the week

Sigmaringen Castle

Sigmaringen Castle was first mentioned in the year 1077 in the chronicles of Petershausen monastery. The oldest parts of the castle are concealed beneath the alterations made during the 17th and the 19th centuries. The secret of the earliest settlement built on this defendable rock will never be fully revealed: large-scale excavation work would be necessary, which the extensive land development renders impossible. Judging from the many Roman remains unearthed in the area around Sigmaringen, the 12th century keep known as the 'Roman Tower' could be traced back to a Roman predecessor.

The castle remains that have been preserved (gate, great hall and keep) date back to the Staufer period around 1200. The castle remains were integrated into subsequent buildings. The foundations of the castle buildings are to a large extent identical to the surrounding castle wall.

These remains give us a good idea of how the castle might have looked during the 12th century.