Manerba Castle

Manerba Castle, locally known as Rocca di Manerba, lies on a hill next to the village of Montinelle, in the Brescia province in the Lombardy region in Italy.

When Manerba Castle, situated on a high rocky spur overlooking Lake Garda, was first built is unknown. The spur and its surroundings however have been used by humans since Prehistory, as attested by archaeological excavations. The castle surely existed in the 8th century, for in 776 it served as a last bastion of resistance of the Lombards to the Frankish forces of Charlemagne. A century later, the castle, the surrounding territory and the lake were donated to the Benedictine monks of the abbey of San Zeno in Verona.

The Early Medieval fortification would have been a keep surrounded by a circuit wall. Two more walled circuits stood some at some distance, down the spur. All the fortifications were rebuilt between the 12th and 13th centuries.

Later, in the early 14th century, the castle was conquered by the Della Scala family from Verona, or the Scaligeri as they are also commonly known. Later it passed to the Visconti family, who were rulers of Milan.

During the Renaissance Manerba was owned by the Republic of Venice. Probably because it had no strategic value for the Venetians, the castle progressively decayed and finally was abandoned. It subsequently became a den of local bandits, because it still was a strong defensible site. This led to its final destruction by the Venetians in 1574. This destruction was so thorough that only its foundations remained.

Today the site of Manerba Castle is part of a large nature reserve. The remains of the caste are freely accessible. The remains itself may not be very spectacular, but the views over Lake Garda certainly are.

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