Padenghe sul Garda
Tra storia e presente, un luogo ricco di emozioni
There are traces of Padenghe sul Garda that date back to probable prehistoric settlements; however, the first village was abandoned at the turn of the 10th century AD, when the Hungarians pushed the population into the hills, where the castle was built. Since 1154, when it was mentioned in a document written by Federico Barbarossa, Padenghe was a Ghibelline stronghold, disputed between Brescia and Verona. After the demolition of the castle in 1509, Padenghe was exposed to looting by the German imperial soldiers from Verona. Subsequently, Padenghe gave birth to famous personalities, such as the painter Andrea Giovanni Bertanza and the Zuliani brothers, the one jurist and the other doctor. During the resurgence, the volunteers of Tito Speri took prisoner at Padenghe, March 28, 1848, the Austrian general Schonhals, fleeing from Brescia. Between 1928 and 1947 also Moniga and Soiano were part of Padenghe, later recognized as autonomous municipalities.
Best things to do and see in Padenghe sul Garda
Castello di Padenghe
Castello di Padenghe
Like many other towns near Lake Garda, Padenghe is also dominated by its castle, probably the oldest of those in the area. Built between the ninth and tenth centuries for defensive purposes on the ruins of a Roman ruin, what we can still admire today is the structure built between the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. The original moat surrounding the Castle of Padenghe, and which today is devoid of water, looks like a large grassy space from which also passes a bike path. The castle is accessible from its ancient drawbridge and inside the walls, along cobbled streets, there are still several houses placed on three parallel rows. Above the entrance, which has traces of the loopholes of the drawbridge and a pedestrian walkway, stands the main tower. The Castle of Padenghe itself is not very large and therefore the walk is very short, but the view of Lake Garda is very impressive and on clear days you can also see Sirmione.
Pieve di Sant’Emiliano
Pieve di Sant’Emiliano
Pieve di Sant'Emiliano in Padenghe was included in the diocese of Verona with a bull by Pope Eugene III of 1145 in which the parish church, some minor chapels and the castle were named. The Parish Church of Sant'Emiliano is located near the intersection of the roads that link the hamlet of Pratello, the castle, the village of Padenghe, the abbey of Maguzzano, the lake and the Via Brixiensis. The parish church of Sant'Emiliano was bordered by the parish church of Santa Maria di Tenesi in Manerba, the parish church of Santa Maria di Nove in Pontenove di Bedizzole, with the parish church of San Zeno in Lonato and the one in Desenzano but was replaced by the church of Santa Maria in the center of the village of Padenghe which over time increased in size and importance compared to the surrounding area; closer to the shores of the lake there was also a church dedicated to San Cassiano but which had a marginal role as early as the 11th-12th century. The church complex consists of the church and annexed buildings around a courtyard, built with simple construction systems and poor materials of the area such as stone blocks and pebbles of various sizes, the walls are irregular and the whole complex has a use inhabited and rural as well as religious, it was supposed to be inhabited by a small group of religious who led rural life and at the same time also dedicated itself to liturgical and pastoral service. The church has a rectangular plan oriented east-west with a single room, double-pitched roof, small bell gable, semicircular apse with three small windows in red Verona and adorned with small hanging arches, on the facade there is an oculus above the small portal completely in verona red stone, inside there are traces of frescoes difficult to date.
Villa Barbieri
Villa Barbieri
Villa Barbieri, today the seat of the municipality of Padenghe, is a beautiful palace built in the eighteenth century style although some claim to be older. From an architectural point of view the building has a polygonal plan and has a ground floor, a mezzanine floor and a first floor. The façade is equipped with a wide arched entrance arched in stone and large windows with a pediment. Very characteristic and evocative, worthy of a stately home as was Villa Barbieri, the entrance hallway, formed by a portico consisting of six pillars on pillars supporting round arches and semi-pillars leaning against the wall. The ceiling of the porch also presents alternately cross vaults and vaulted vaults with an elegant decoration designed to highlight the ribs and the outlines. Also worthy of note is the large staircase made of marble.
Useful information
Discover all the points of interest in the city.
Market day
Saturday afternoon
Festivities and events
Festa di Sant’Emiliano 22nd November
Hospital
Ospedali di Desenzano del Garda - Località Montecroce
Pharmacies
FARMACIA – BERETTA DR. MARIO Via Giuseppe Verdi, 5
Beaches
SPIAGGIA CASINA , Via Guglielmo Marconi SPIAGGIA LIBERA
Port / Station
PORTO – Via del Porto, 9
