Bastione di Riva Tower

Bastione di Riva Tower, locally known as Bastione di Riva or simply Il Bastione, lies on the slope of a mountain next to the city of Riva del Garda, in the Trentino province in the Trentino-Alto Adige region in Italy.

The Bastione di Riva Tower was built in 1507 by the Republic of Venice on the slope of the Monte Rochetta, overlooking the city of Riva. The old medieval city walls were deemed inadequate to protect the city, so the Bastione was meant to serve as a defensive bulwark against possible attacks coming from the north. But as the Venetians lost the Battle of Agnadello against the French in 1509, they abandoned the area and the tower fell into the hands of the Prince-Bishop of Trent; George II von Neideck.

In the early 17th century the tower was still said to be in excellent condition, but from the mid-17th century onwards it was described as being dilapidated and neglected.

It was finally destroyed in 1703, during the War of the Spanish Succession, by the French troops led by the French general Louis Joseph, Duke of Vendôme, who also sacked the city and its castle.

During the next centuries the tower ruin slowly deteriorated and several parts collapsed. In the 1950s a cable car station was built on the southern edge of the former forecourt of the old fortification. There is now a small restaurant operating in the station.

Bastione di Riva Tower is freely accessible. You can reach it from the city either by a paid cable car ride or a 20-minute hike up the mountain. A nice tower ruin offering great views over Riva and its surroundings. Riva Castle is nearby.

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