Brescia’s part of Lake Garda jealously safeguards the signs of its past. Landscapes shaped by man, traces of history and testimonies of art offer an infinity of interpretations of this territory. Indulge yourself in a cultural holiday on Lake Garda to learn about our land’s history. The spectacular prehistoric pile-dwellings of Lucone in Polpenazze, San Sivino in Manerba, Lavagnone in Desenzano/Lonato e Lugana Vecchia in Sirmione date back to Bronze Age. They became a World Heritage in 2011 and are under the protection of the UNESCO . The remains of ancient Rome are extraordinary: the large villa at the tip of the Sirmione peninsula, which is the most magnificent example of a private building in all of northern Italy and probably belonged to the Latin poet Catullus; the archaeological sites of Desenzano del Garda and Toscolano Maderno, sites of a compelling thematic course dedicated to ancient history. Equally charming is the path that leads to the discovery of Romanesque churches: Sant’Andrea in Maderno, Sant’Emiliano in Padenghe, San Francesco in Gargnano are just some of the extraordinary Romanesque monuments that you can find in almost every small village on the lake shore. The sacred paths lead us to the discovery of the Sanctuary of Madonna in Montecastello in Tignale, built on a cliff overlooking Lake Garda and the eighteenth-century lemon house of Tesöl, in Limone, the birthplace of St Daniele Comboni, evangelist and father of faith in modern Africa. In addition to the strongholds of faith, there are medieval castles, defensive strongholds of the ancient Benacensi villages. Exceptionally preserved are the castle of Valtenesi, in Moniga, of the lake and the Scaliger castle of Sirmione are splendidly preserved. The paths of man’s work are exceptional and unique, like the one you can go on in the Valle delle Cartiere and that of the ancient gardens of lemon groves, lemon houses, archaeological monuments which are unique in the world. History is written in the places where the Battle of Solferino and San Martino, one of the largest and bloodiest battles of the Risorgimento took place, or on the mountains of the Alto Garda, along the old border line which, until 1918, separated Italy from the Austrian-Hungarian Empire, full of testimonies of the first world war. A more recent historical journey takes us to the Italian Social Republic, which went down in history as the "Republic of Salò"; the Italian Vittoriale, final resting place of the poet Gabriele d'Annunzio and his greatest masterpiece; also the Ugo Foundation from Como to Lonato, the museum centres, the interesting architecture, the testimonies of liberty that tell of the magnificence of the "Belle Epoque", the permanent exhibitions, the nearby cities of art such as Mantua, Brescia, Verona which are only a few miles away. The memories of the past, the precious testimonies of art and culture of the area of the "Lake Garda - Lombardy" Consortium are a legacy to be discovered and an unmissable opportunity for those who, while on holiday, do not intend to give up the call of learning and fascination of art.
Here some insights: Museums https://www.valledellecartiere.it/en/ https://www.vittoriale.it/en http://www.grottedicatullo.beniculturali.it/index.php?en/1/home https://www.bresciamusei.com/santagiulia.asp https://www.museodisalo.it/
Art City Verona Verona 30 minutes to reach Verona. Only the evocation of emotion that can give Juliet’s house, Piazza delle Erbe, Piazza dei Signori, Piazza Bra where the majestic Arena di Verona lies. There You can’t quote the Arena without thinking of his intense theater season that reaches its climax in the summer opera season.
Mantova To Mantova it takes you less than an hour, and Mantua will surprise you for its long history, politics and artistic and cultural side. Mantua, today proclaimed Unesco heritage, lived its best time in the Renaissance as evidenced by the Ducal Palace and the building is embellished Te. Mantova is every year embellisched by the festival of literature
Milano To Milano it takes you one hour by train. The commercial capital of Italy. Just over 100 miles and just over an hour from Desenzano to arrive into the heart of Milan. There are 1000 reasons to visit Milan, and 1000 possible routes, depending only to the interests and curiosity of everyone. Milan is a city of art, capital fashion, home shopping, temple food. From the Cathedral, in a few steps, you are in the fashion world: Via Monte Napoleone, Via Manzoni, Via della Spiga and Corso Venezia are the four streets that make up an imaginary square where they concentrate shops and ateliers of the most important names in fashion. Monte Napoleone is the Queen of these pathways and Milan is considered one of the fifteen most luxurious and expensive streets in the world.
Venezia Venice is only 160 km from us, not even two hours by car, it is an extraordinary place, it rests on more than 100 small islands protected by a lagoon in the Adriatic Sea. The streets of this city are canals, some, like the Grand Canal, marvelous because flanked by unique Renaissance and Gothic palaces. The great Piazza San Marco with its Basilica resplendent with Byzantine mosaics and the bell tower of San Marco are unmissable jewels.
Brescia Though Brescia is nowadays a cosmopolitan city, it is still strongly connected to its history and traditions. The many museums, art exhibitions and theatrical or television shows are proof of a rich artistic and historical inheritance. It is famous for the Castle, which dates back to 1300, and the Museum of Saint Giulia, a monastery of 753 A.D, where each year important art exhibitions are held.