Custoza, frazione of Italy
Custoza is a small village within the municipality of Sommacampagna, in Verona province, set on a hill overlooking the Po Plain. The village is made up of a few streets lined with old stone buildings, a church dedicated to St. Peter in Vinculis, a historic villa, and an ossuary.
Custoza first appears in written records in 1185, growing from a simple guard post on a Roman road into a small settlement. Two battles were fought here during the 19th-century wars for Italian unification, one in 1848 and another in 1866, both against Austrian forces.
The name Custoza comes from a Latin word meaning watchtower or guard post. Standing in the village today, the elevated position still offers a clear view over the surrounding plain, which explains why this spot was chosen as a lookout centuries ago.
The village is small enough to visit entirely on foot, with the church, the villa, and the ossuary all within easy walking distance of each other. The ossuary has multiple levels and inscriptions worth reading, so allow a little extra time there.
The ossuary holds the remains of soldiers from both sides of the two battles, Italian and Austrian alike, gathered together after the fighting ended. This means that former enemies rest in the same building, a detail that many visitors only notice when reading the inscriptions inside.
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