Borghetto and Castellaro Lagusello are just a few kilometers from Lake Garda, and are among the most beautiful towns (borghi) in Italy.
Borghetto is well known and very popular, while Castellaro Lagusello is much quieter.
Let’s go discover them one by one.
Borghetto sul Mincio
Borghetto is an ancient mill village on the Mincio river. It is located in the municipality of Valeggio sul Mincio, in the province of Verona, near the Visconti Bridge.
Short history of Borghetto
The birth of Borghetto (together with Valeggio) dates back to the 8th and 9th centuries AD during the Lombard domination.
After many disputes between Mantua and Verona, in 1202 it passed under the dominion of the Scaligeri who fortified the village, transforming it into a military stronghold.
In 1405 the village passed under the dominion of the Republic of Venice, which developed the activity of grinding cereals, building the water mills that can still be seen today.
During the Venetian domination, agriculture was also developed using the waters of the Mincio for irrigation. Even today we can see the agricultural vocation of this part of the Verona area.
After the Venetian domination, Borghetto follows the fate of Venice, with the Napoleonic wars and annexation to Austria, until 1866 with the annexation to the Kingdom of Italy.
What to see in Borghetto
Borghetto owes its charm to its symbiosis with the river. The careful renovation of the buildings has made it a charming village, pleasant to visit. In this small village there are numerous bars, ice cream shops and small restaurants.
Walking in the middle of the mills and in the streets without cars takes us back in time. If you want to enjoy the village in peace, we recommend avoiding weekends and holidays, when such villages are full of people.
In the village it is possible to visit the Church of San Marco Evangelista, rebuilt in neoclassical style in 1759 on the ruins of the ancient Romanesque church.
The Ponte Visconteo is an integral part of the landscape of Borghetto and it is worth taking a walk, especially now that it is no longer used as a parking lot. From here you can also see the Scaliger Castle on the top of the hill, overlooking the Mincio valley.
Castellaro Lagusello
One of the most beautiful towns (borghi) in Italy, Castellaro Lagusello is immersed in a motionless and timeless landscape, in the countryside of the Mantova area. All around there are cultivated lands.
Nearby there is a small pond which, when viewed from above, has the shape of a heart.
Short history of Castellaro Lagusello
The construction of the village dates back to the 11th – 12th century.
The Viscontis held the village until 1405, when Castellaro passed to the Gonzagas and later to the Republic of Venice.
Venice in 1637 decides to sell it at auction to the Arrighi accounts.
Over time the village has maintained its medieval structure.
Thanks to a careful recovery of the buildings everything seems to have remained in the past.
What to see in Castellaro Lagusello
Don’t think to find many people here and the amount of bars and restaurants that are in Borghetto. In Castellaro you can immerse yourself in an almost surreal silence, in narrow streets where you meet restored houses, beautiful and well-kept gardens that remind you of bucolic atmospheres.
In the village you enter by a wide door that was equipped with a drawbridge (after leaving the car outside the walls). The door is dominated by a tall clock tower.
Crossing the side alleys you reach the small square where the nineteenth-century Villa Arrighi overlooks (it can be visited only on request). The villa incorporates a manor fortress from whose walls you can enjoy the beautiful view of the lake and the surrounding countryside.
We advise you to take a nice tour around the village (there is a dirt road) that allows you to see it as a whole, with the pond, the countryside and lush nature.
