Torri del Benaco, commune in Province of Verona
Torri del Benaco is a small lake town on the eastern shore of Lake Garda with medieval buildings and the Castello Scaligero fortress overlooking the water. The center has narrow streets, an active harbor with fishing boats, and two neighboring hamlets called Albisano and Pai, each with its own medieval church.
Excavations show the area has been inhabited for about 4000 years, with traces of Bronze Age waterside structures and rock carvings by early people. After Roman rule came Goths, Lombards, and Franks, then the Scaligeri lords from Verona built the castle in the 12th century to protect the harbor.
The old town center circles the harbor with narrow streets where daily life unfolds. Fishing and olive cultivation have shaped the community for centuries and continue to influence how residents use the waterfront and gather in public spaces.
The town is reachable by car along the lakeshore road or by bus from train stations like Peschiera, with parking available near the center. The narrow medieval streets are best explored on foot, and the harbor serves as a good reference point to get oriented in the town.
The Castello Scaligero houses a greenhouse with citrus trees from the 1700s still visible to visitors today. This rare collection shows how residents worked with exotic plants in earlier times and used the lake's mild temperatures to cultivate them.
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