Tom`s travels: Castellaro Lagusello & Lonato del Garda (13/04/2019)

After coming back to Italy, I convinced my dad to do a day trip and visit a couple of towns close to lake garda. After leaving Vicenza we drove westward and reached the small town of Castellaro Lagusello, part of the club the most beautiful villages in Italy. The town sits in a hilly area right south of Lake Garda and is bordered by a small lake of its own. After parking the car, we checked out a couple of restaurants to eat in later but opted to look for something else later on. We walked through the old town and reached the porta arcuata, the main entrance gate to the fortified part of the town. This in fact characterized by a castle surrounded by walls and built during the 13th century by the Scaligeri, rulers of Verona. As we walked through the gate and next to the medieval tower which was turned into a clock tower during the 16th century, we passed by the town's main church dedicated to St Nicholas. It was unfortunately closed so that meant walking onwards. As we reached the southern part of town, encircled by walls, we encountered the Villa Tacoli Arrighi, a 15th-century building which was built right on the walls using the towers for part of its construction. As it was private we could not go through but we nonetheless enjoyed the sight from the exterior. Right in front of it are two of the oldest houses in the town, dating to the 13th century. As we walked around the town we tried to reach the small lake but found out all streets just ended to a part of the walls or were closed off by houses. Walking back we then reached the car and drove off towards the next stop. Driving along picturesque rolling hills, we then stopped at an agriturismo called La Civetta. There we had a good filling lunch and then got back in the car to drive onwards to Lonato del Garda. This small town built among the hills to the southwest of Lake Garda has a long history since pre-roman times. Its present aspect incorporates various centuries with most buildings dating to the 17th and 18th centuries. After parking the car we then headed on foot through the old town stopping first to see the small church of Santa Maria del Corlo. Built during the 16th century it features a nice interior with traces of medieval frescoes and is currently in use by the local Romanian community. After that, we then went uphill to reach the entrance of the castle but to our surprise found out it was full of people due to a flower festival taking place inside. An entrance ticket was required but as we wished to see the museum nearby they told us to go around to the other side and buy the ticket directly there as they did not have the combined one. So after leaving my dad there I ran back down the hill and through the town to reach the eastern entrance of the castle. I bought the combined tickets and then ran back up to let my dad in too. As we walked below the walls we admired the many stalls selling all kinds of seeds, flowers, fruit trees and other plants. Then, through another gate, part of the second set of walls, we entered the castle proper. Originally erected during the 10th century it received just slight alteration thus leaving it quite intact. From the walls, we could easily see the lake in the distance and despite the cloudy weather still provided for a nice view. On the eastern end a small building, the only remaining of the castle, hosted a small ehibition on archaeological remains and stuffed local fauna. After that, we went out of the first set of walls and downhill to the eastern entrance where I had bought the tickets. There we then joined a tour which brought us through the museum of the Fondazione Ugo da Como. Hosted inside the Palazzo del Podestà a 16th century which served as the seat of the Venetian podestà or local ruler who managed the city for the Republic of Venice which had annexed the town in 1516. Our guide, a middle-aged man, even though a long-time employee there, made a lot of mistakes and forgot a lot of things and was rather mean to us as he totally forbid us from taking any pictures. After the period under Venetian dominance, when the town passed under Austrian rule, the building became a barracks and then during the 19th century was bought by an Italian politician, Ugo da Como. He fully restored the building as much as he could and added his own personal touch with old furniture gathered from buildings around the country. Parts of the medieval frescoes in the lower part were still visible and well preserved and the rooms with the salvaged furniture were a delight. I particularly marveled at the impressive wooden library which contained up to 50.000 books which made me want one of such all for myself. After the visit to the museum, we then exited the walls and walked through the city center reaching then the main square, Piazza Martiri Della Libertà. Right next to it is the imposing Basilica of San Giovanni Battista, whose huge and tall cupola can be easily spotted from the surrounding countryside. Featuring a beautiful white facade, the church was built in the Baroque style during the 18th century over a previous building. Once inside I marveled at the lavish marbles and gilded decorations found throughout. After visiting the church, we decided it was time to go so heading back to the car we got on and drove home.