LAKE GARDA

Having arrived at the northern tip of the Lake, ending the first itinerary, we now pause on the Verona shore from Peschiera to Torri del Benaco. Situated in the strategic point in which the Mincio flows from Lake Garda, Peschera has been important military garrison in various centuries. Already inhabited during the prehistoric era, it was called Arlica under the ancient Romans, it was fortified during the Middle Ages and then militarized by the Venetians in the mid 16th century with walls and rock based on plans by Gudobaldo da Urbino and Sammicheli. In the end the Austrians made it a haedquarters for the famous "quadrilateral" with Verona, Mantova and Lagnano. Today it is a popular tourist resort and industrial center. Its historical nucleus is still enclosed within 16th walls reinforced by four ramparts at the corners. Of interest is the Palazzina del Comando del Presidio, where a meeting was held the day after of the defeat of Caporetto. Today it displays relics of the "Risorgimento" era and of World War I. At a brief distance, between the morainic eleveations surrounding the Frassino lake west of Peschiera, stands the 16th century Santuario della Madonna del Frassino. The stretch of territory which extends from this town to the Sirmione peninsula is called "Lugana and it is famous for its wine. Here the Lake's fleet took shelter in the navy yard of port Peschiera.