Sirmione - Castello Scaligero (original) (raw)

This is the Castello Scaligero in Sirmione. Also known as the Scaliger Castle or Scaligero Castle.

Scaliger Castle is located in the Italian lakeside town of Sirmione. Sirmione is a comune and town located in the province of Brescia in the region of Lombardy. Sirmione has a beautiful historic center which is situated on top of a small peninsula that juts out into the southern portion of Lake Garda. The Scaliger Castle is consideredone of the finest examples of a medieval fortification, including a very rare fortified port.

Sirmione was once known as Garda, and had been a Veronese summer resort for the elite since the 1st century BC. The town had grown to become one the most important Roman cities in northeast Italy, Garda had been praised by several artists and poets of the time, including Catullus.

During the 4th and the 5th century AD, the town became an important fortified strongpoint for the defence of Lake Garda's southern section. A settlement had existed in the area even after the Lombard conquest and had depended directly on the King for its operation. King Desiderius's wife Ansa had founded a church and monastery in the city.

History of Scaliger Castle

In the first half of the 13th century, Sirmione fell into the hands of the Scaliger family. It is believed that the castle had been founded by Mastino I della Scala. The town continued to be an important military center until the 16th century. Until the 19th century, a garrison had remained in the castle. Sirmione had been a part of the Republic of Venice from the year 1405 till 1797 when it had been acquired by Austria. Later, in the year 1888 Sirmione became a part of Unified Italy.

The Castle

The castle had been built in the 13th century and had been a port fortification which had been used widely by the fleet of the Scaliger family. The castle dominates the landscape of the town and has a large moat where ducks and swans can be seen today. There are 150 steps which lead up to the ramparts and the tower is open to public for viewing.

From the top of the tower, beautiful views of the Lake Garda can be enjoyed. The courtyard of the castle had been a garden earlier where the mainland had been controlled by the guards from the embrasures. The prison had been located below the main keep.

The castle has large crenellated walls and towers and an inner porch which is set in medieval and Roman stones. The entire structure is surrounded by water and a second defence wall can be reached through a drawbridge. There is also another walkway along the wall from where the striking dock can be admired. The doors had been fitted with several different systems for locking. The drawbridge had been for the pedestrians and carriage which had a metal sluice and had two hinged doors.

From Scaliger Castle, Sirmione

As we had gone in the castle at Malcesine a day before, we decided not to go inside this one. Anyway we didn't have much time as we were near the end of our complete tour of Lake Garda.

It is an amazing looking castle and the weather that day was picture perfect.

The castle complex built starting in 1277 by Martino della Scala, presents an archaeological typology which is analogous to the coeval Della Scala fortresses in the Verona territory , as regards the presence of Ghibelline swallowtail merlons and the building technique of curtain-walls in stone and river pebbles alternating with two horizontal bands of bricks coarses. The finishing touches of the inside of the wall linings too with graffitied plaster simulating regular blocks of stone are reminiscent of Venetian models. Placed in a strategic position at the entrance to the village, at the greatest narrowing of the peninsula completely surrounding by a moat, the fortress is a complex bulwark with two drawbridges. It is entered via a covered way leading to the keep, in which there is a room with wooden ceiling with bare beams and in the central courtyard surrounded by tall curtain-walls with three corner towers. Particularly fascinating is the quadrangular dock, preceded by a small courtyard and defended near the lake by two towers with walkways. Considering the military function of the building, used for defensive purposes from the time when it was built until the Napoleonic epoch the visit privileges the outer spaces, the towers and the walkways, from which at all times of the year there are charming views of the lake and the shore of Lake Garda. Since 1976, when the Ministry for the Cultural Heritage was created, the fortress has been administered by the Superintendence for the Architectural and Landscape Heritage for the provinces of Bresica, Cremona and Mantova.