Castelnuovo del Garda
Castelnuovo del Garda is an Italian comune, in the Province of Verona, in Veneto, on a couple of morainic hills a few kilometres south-east of Lake Garda. Verona is about 20 km to the east, Venice is 140 km east and Milan 140 km west.
Castelnuovo del Garda has a short beach on the lake, between the municipalities of Peschiera del Garda and Lazise. The comune borders the municipalities of Bussolengo, Lazise, Peschiera del Garda, Sona, and Valeggio sul Mincio.
Gardaland, the biggest amusement park in Italy, is expanding mainly within the Castelnuovo municipality, close to Lake Garda shores.
History
From a few archaeological remains found on the top of the main hill, probably Castelnuovo del Garda was already inhabited during the prehistoric age.During the Roman period, it was first known as Beneventum, and was later renamed Quadrivium which literally means 4 roads, or crossroad. Indeed, its location was strategical being at the crossroad between the Via Gallica, and a connection with the Via Claudia Augusta.
In the 12th century, Quadrivium was destroyed by Frederick Barbarossa. Consequently, rebuilt as a fortified town, Quadrivium was renamed Castrum Novum, and the name has remained unchanged with the Italian version Castelnuovo.
During the centuries, Castelnuovo passed under different political controls, from the Lord of Verona, the Lord of Milano, the Venetian Republic, the Austrian empire, and eventually becoming part of the Regno d'Italia with the third Italian independence war and the consequential Armistice of Cormons, in the 1866.
Only in 1970, Castelnuovo took its actual name, Castelnuovo del Garda, to highlight its location close to the Lake Garda shores.
The Castelnuovo Massacre – 11 April 1848
On 11 April 1848, Castelnuovo del Garda was almost totally destroyed and burned by the Austrian Empire army, during the first Italian independence war. That day, 400 men of the fought against 3,000 Austrian soldiers, which consequentially burned the city, killing around 89 local citizens as reprisal for the revolutionary actions that were taking place in the region.The Austrian army was headed by the field marshal Joseph Radetzky, who was serving in Verona, and the commander Whillerm Thurn. The Italian Volontari had been sent by Major Luciano Manara and commanded by Agostino Noaro.
Main Historical Sites
- The tower of Castelnuovo, built by the Lord of Milano – 14th century
- Church of the Madonna degli Angeli – 15th century
- Church of S.Maria Nascente – 18th century
- Villa Cossali Sella – 15th century
- Villa Arvedi D'Emilei – 17th century
- Villa Negri – 17th century
Culture
Events
Festa dell'uva, the most important event in Castelnuovo del Garda is the wine festival that takes place every year at the end of the summer, usually a weekend in mid-September. It is a celebration of the historically most important economic sector of the region: the wine production. During the festival, several local producers present their wine and participate in a competition for the best wine of the year. In addition, several cultural and historical exhibitions are taking place during the whole weekend.Festa della Bandiera. The third Sunday of June, the municipality celebrates an event that occurred on 24 June 1866, during the third Italian independence war. In the specific, in the municipality district Oliosi, a group of soldiers remained surrounded by the enemy and decided to divide the flag between each other in order to avoid giving it to the enemy.Twin towns
- Neustadt an der Aisch, Germany, since 1988
- Trebnje, Slovenia, since 2001