Garda - History
Garda is considered to be the most medieval town on the lake. The discoveries made in 1964 confirmed that there was already a human presence in Garda in prehistoric times; there have also been several findings from the Roman era, both on the Rocca and along the shores, close to Punta San Vigilio, where the remains of a Roman villa were brought to light. The town was considered very important thanks to the Rocca, or stronghold, which guarded the Lake. Garda passed from the Longobards to the Franks. In the 10th century King Berengario II took Queen Adelaide prisoner, in 1162 the bishop of Verona withstood the siege of Barbarossa for a year. In 1193 Garda was given to the Scaligeri by the emperor of Germany, thus becoming part of the Gardesana Colonel. The Visconti conquered the Scaligeri and after a short period of rule, in 1405 Garda passed into the hands of the Venetian Serenissima, with the arrival of the Venetians nothing in the administration of Garda actually changed. Punta San Vigilio is one of the most beautiful places on the lake and has offered hospitality to many famous peoples such as Maria Luisa of Austria, Tsar Alexander II, England’s Prince Charles and Winston Churchill.
