Malcesine
Lake Garda, IT
Malcesine is a picturesque town located on the eastern shore of Lake Garda in the province of Verona, in the Veneto region of northern Italy. It is situated at the foot of Mount Baldo and is known for its historic Scaliger Castle, charming streets, and beautiful lake views. The town features cobblestone streets, and is popular for activities like hiking, sailing, and cycling. Malcesine is also accessible via a cable car that takes visitors up to Mount Baldo for panoramic views of the lake and surrounding area.​​​ Malcesine is also a place rich in history and culture: a walk through the old town will take you through the centuries, and there will certainly be opportunities to taste the typical cuisine of the area.
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Malcesine’s fans cite the town’s narrow, medieval streets (unspoiled due to the difficulty of developing anything much in the narrow gap between the mountains and the lake) and its pretty beaches, especially Val di Sogno, as more reasons to adore it above other Lake Garda charmers. They also rate the proximity to the Dolomites, which means that it's a good base for paragliders, sailors, water-skiers, climbers, mountain bikers, golfers etc.
Malcesine is one of the principal stops for the ferries which run up and down Lake Garda, and the other northern lake resorts – Limone, Riva del Garda and Torbole – are easy and relatively quick to reach. Malcesine's most prominent landmark is the Castello Scaligero (Scaligero Castle), which has 13th-century fortifications and an older medieval tower in white natural stone. Like the castle of Sirmione at the southern end of the lake, it is named for the della Scala family of Verona who ruled the region in the 13th and 14th centuries. Most of the structures visible today date to the period of the della Scala. The bell of the castle was cast in 1442 and it is still in service.
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The battlemented fortress is open to the public as a museum, called the Museo Castello Scaligero, housing three small museums as well as temporary exhibitions. There is also a room dedicated to the German writer Goethe, who visited Malcesine in 1786 and was suspected of spying when he sketched the castle. There are great views from the ramparts and the chance to climb up the tower and gaze down at Malcesine’s huddled rooftops.​​​​​​
The first recorded inhabitants of the area were Etruscans dating to around 500 BC. Between the 5th and 6th centuries the Langobards built a castle on the rock where the Scaligero Castle stands today.
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Over the next centuries, castle and town were ruled in succession by the Visconti of Milan (until 1403) and the Republic of Venice (1405-1797). In 1797-98, the area was occupied by the forces of Napoleon Bonaparte after which the Veneto became part of the Austrian Empire. In 1866, Malcesine became part of the Kingdom of Italy.
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One important building in Malcesine is the fifteenth-century Palazzo dei Capitani, close to the harbor. This was the headquarters of the Venetian rulers of the area, the Capitani del Lago.
