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 Christian Lauw

Historic Site of the week

Wieskirche

The Pilgrimage Church of Wies (Wieskirche) is an oval rococo church, designed in the late 1740s by Dominikus Zimmermann. It is located in the foothills of the Alps in the municipality of Steingaden.

The sanctuary of Wies is a pilgrimage church extraordinarily well-preserved in the beautiful setting of an Alpine valley, and is a perfect masterpiece of Rococo art and creative genius, as well as an exceptional testimony to a civilization that has disappeared.

The hamlet of Wies, in 1738, is said to have been the setting of a miracle in which tears were seen on a simple wooden figure of Christ mounted on a column that was no longer venerated by the Premonstratensian monks of the Abbey. A wooden chapel constructed in the fields housed the miraculous statue for some time. However, pilgrims from Germany, Austria, Bohemia, and even Italy became so numerous that the Abbot of the Premonstratensians of Steingaden decided to construct a splendid sanctuary.