All SEE in Riva del Garda

The Church of Santa Maria Inviolata is a Baroque church in Riva del Garda, located in Largo Guglielmo Marconi. The church is the most important architectural monument in Riva del Garda, and one of the most beautiful churches in Trentino.   SHORT HISTORY The church was desired by Gianangelo Gaudenzio Madruzzo, governor of Riva and Arco, and by his wife, Alfonsina Gonzaga. The construction began in 1603 after a design by Pier Maria Bagnadore. The church was consecrated in 1636, and the works were completed in 1639. A few years after the construction of the church, a convent was built nearby, where the monks belonging to the Order of the Poor Hermits of San Girolamo lived. After the death of her husband, Alfonsina Gonzaga oversaw the completion of the decoration of the church and the construction of the convent.   ARCHITECTURE The Church of Santa Maria Inviolata has a square-plan and an octagonal upper part, with a slightly detached bell-tower. The entire structure is austere and dominated by rectilinear geometric lines. The church has three classical portals with architraves, with columns placed to support the triangular pediments, each surmounted by a circular window. In the upper part, there are eight Read more [...]

Rocca di Riva is a medieval fortress located in Riva del Garda, on an artificial island, on the shore of Lake Garda. Today, Rocca di Riva is one of the two locations of the MAG Alto Garda Museum.   SHORT HISTORY Rocca di Riva was built in 1124 at the behest of Altemanno, prince-bishop of Trento, to defend the port of the town, a strategic point for trade in Trentino. In the 14th century, after the conquest of the town by the Della Scala family, lords of Verona, the fortress was renovated and enlarged. The structure could be accessed directly from the water, and was isolated from mainland by moats. In the following century, the fortress was disputed between Venice and the Visconti family of Milan, and was plundered several times. In 1516, Riva del Garda was conquered by the emperor Maximilian I of Habsburg. With the return under the Austrian domination, the military importance of the fortress diminished and it was used as the seat of the court of the bishopric of Trento. In the 19th century, the fortress was transformed into an army barracks, as part of the project to strengthen the border between the Austrian Empire and Read more [...]

Torre Apponale is a medieval tower in Riva del Garda, located in the historical center of the town, in Piazza III Novembre. The name of the tower comes from the ancient road that connected the Ponale creek with Monte Brione.   SHORT HISTORY Torre Apponale was built in the 13th century by the noble Bonvicini family, with a defensive function, to protect the historical center of Riva del Garda and the town’s port. Federico Vanga, the prince-bishop of Trento, was against the construction of the tower, and ordered its demolition, but after some negotiations, the Bonvicinis ceded the property to Vanga and kept the feudal benefit. In the 16th century, the tower was raised to its current height, and became a prison. In the 1920s, Torre Apponale underwent major restorations and modifications, one of the most important being the removal of the onion-shaped roof and its replacing with a four-pitched roof. A new cycle of restorations was carried out in 2002, and since then the internal staircase of 165 steps became accessible again for tourists.   ARCHITECTURE Torre Apponale has a height of 34 meters. The tower has a beautiful clock and a bronze bell which rings only on special Read more [...]