Valeggio sul Mincio

HISTORY OF VALEGGIO SUL MINCIO

Valeggio sul Mincio born in the prehistory and then it was habited by Gallic and Roman people. Its original name  derives from the Longobard language “Valagio”, which means “level place”. Later, between the 13th and the 14th, century, powerful fortresses raised. The Scaligeri  castle is very interesting, once a time it was the western bulwark of the Serraglio’s defence line, a 16 km long wall with a moat.From 1405 to 1797 Valeggio was under the domination of the Republic of Venice, loosing more and more its military importance, but increasing its agricultural and molinary activities. After a short rule by the Austrians, Valeggio finally took part of Italy.

ARTS

The parish church merits a visit, built at the end of the 18th. century in neoclassic stile and consecrated to San Pietro. Inside it keeps precious paintings by Veronese artists and an imposing pipe organ of 1812. Very interesting the stone ancon dating back to the 12th century. To see only the basement of the Medieval bell-tower, unfortunately destroyed in 1970. The picturesque hamlet Borghetto with its wonderful little Medieval houses, its narrow lanes and its well-preserved mills is a romantic jewel in this landscape. In 1393 Gian Galeazzo Visconti ordered the construction of an important dam- bridge over the Mincio River for connecting Borghetto with the fortress of Valeggio, it was 600 m. long but remained unfinished.

ATTRACTIONS

Next to the town you can find the famous park “Parco Sigurtà”, it has more than 56 hectars and in the midst lies the wonderful palace “Villa Maffei”, planned by Vicenzo Pellesina, in 1693. The large park was lay out in 1800 with a luxuriant vegetation, you can admire for example “Boschetto dei Verdi aceri” a forest with more than 40 diverse species of  maple- trees. Extraordinary the horizontal sun dial, also acting as calendar and valid for 26000 years. Particularly evocative the big lawn (50.000 square meters), where you can walk listening to pieces of tuneful music.

Every year  Valeggio sul Mincio organizes the famous popular festival “Festa dei Tortellini”. On the dam bridge there are two very long tables, where you can taste these wonderful Tortellinis and naturally much more.