Joanna has been travelling to Italy again…
Last week, I was in northern Italy, staying on the Sirmione peninsula at the southern end of Lake Garda, the largest lake in the country. The weather was good—though not as warm as in the UK—and the sites were amazing. The image above (not one of mine, as I don’t have a drone) shows the Sirmione peninsula. It’s very narrow, as you can see. And it has a restored medieval castle to protect it at its narrowest point.
This is what the castle looks like from the landward side:
Castello Scaligero, Sirmione
In the 13th and 14th centuries, Verona and the area of the Veneto was ruled by the house of Della Scala, called Scaligeri, hence the name of the Sirmione fortress. Castello Scaligero was one of a number of castles protecting the area from invaders. The blue arrow points it out in this sketch of the lake and the castles of the region.
Castello Scaligero was a fortress, not a palace.
Its purpose was defence, as I discovered when I explored it.
It has no fine rooms, no solar, just defences, including 2 drawbridges, thick inner walls with ramparts, high towers and classic arrow-slit windows.
Here is a plan of the castello. It shows the central structure in buff and the perimeter wall and dock in grey. The blue arrow marks the external drawbridge. If you compare it with the aerial pic at the top of this blog, you’ll see how the drawbridge guards the entrance.
The image on the left shows the external drawbridge. The image on the right shows the archway leading to the external drawbridge and the second, internal drawbridge. So there were two, very effective, lines of defence.
You can see that the entrance is narrow, even when the internal drawbridge is down. The walls are sheer and there is plenty of scope for the defenders to rain missiles down on any unwelcome visitors. If they ever got that far…
Exploring Castello Scaligero
Above left is the central parade square of the castle where soldiers would have mustered. Very austere. In the far corner are the stairs to reach the ramparts. I’m glad to say they’re much more tourist-friendly than the original steps would have been. The central image shows the other end of the parade square with that impregnable-looking tower. Even when you get up onto the ramparts, the tower still looks forbidding (image from ramparts, right). It’s over 37 metres high and was the last line of defence for Castello Scaligero.
The ramparts, though lower than the tower, are impressive, as you can see here.
Now, those who know me will be aware that I suffer from vertigo. But I did manage to climb to the very top of the tower (and was quite chuffed with myself for managing it).
The view is spectacular for modern visitors. For the soldiers in the medieval fortress, it would have been a huge advantage as long as visibility was good. They could see for miles. The image below left is looking down from the tower onto the ramparts level (as shown in previous image) and the town buildings beyond. The image below right is looking out over the dock towards the lake and the mountains beyond. And they prove I made it to the top of the tower!
Castello Scaligero in context
Nowadays, the restored fortress is just a tourist attraction, though in its heyday it was part of a great fortified system, completed in 1355 by Cangrande II, Lord of Verona. That system remained intact for centuries.
Pause for just a moment to consider that name: Cangrande.
The second part is easy: grande means great or big.
Can? It means dog. In the 14th century, it wasn’t a term of abuse, but quite a normal name in the Verona region, according to our guides. The modern equivalent of Cangrande would be Top Dog. And Cangrande II certainly was that, since he ruled with a rod of iron.
Sirmione has Roman ruins too
We visited amazing Roman ruins on the Sirmione peninsula, but I’m going to save those for a future blog. When you look at the location of Sirmione, though, it’s not surprising that people have been settling there for centuries. Even Maria Callas had a villa there (not open to the public sadly).
I do have to warn you, though, that traffic is a huge problem and the town was heaving with people, even in early April.
More soon
What an amazing place! I do love medieval castles. As you say, that one looks seriously impregnable. They’d have to breach the walls or burn down the drawbridge, I imagine. Even then, it would presumably be an easy matter for those on the ramparts to knock them off via boiling tar or whatever. I imagine some invaders would end up falling into the sea to drown. Horrors. Thank goodness we aren’t living in those days. Did you find yourself dreaming up a story during your ramblings?
Yes, I loved it, Liz. Partly because it was so very clearly a one-purpose building. Nowhere for anyone to recline with a jug of wine. It was all about defensive fighting. But oh what a view! I didn’t actually dream up a story. Partly because I was so focused on climbing that 37 metre tower!
I must say, my first thought was the same — what a fabulous place to set a story, historical, fantasty, even science fiction. What would an alien visitor in the future (or even the past) make of that amazing fortress?
Thank you, Joanna.
Yes, it is a fabulous setting. And when you look at the town, you can see that there’s only a single narrow entrance, right by the castle, so the whole peninsula is guarded by it, both from the lake and from the land. Could be good in fantasy, I agree. Will think on…
What a glorious setting for a castle and how sad that it was just defensive and not the home of a great family. Well done on the steps, the view is certainly worth it.
Thanks, Liz. Yes, the setting is magnificent.
Wow. That is a serious fortress.
I agree. And it’s been so beautifully restored that it feels like the real medieval thing when you’re inside.