The Tower Of The Old King ~ Green and relaxation

THE CATHEDRAL and the Last Supper by Tiepolo Desenzano Cathedral is dedicated to St. Mary Magdalene, and was built between 1586 and 1611 by the Brescia architect, Guilio Todeschini. Inside there are some lovely works by Andrea Celesti, one of the main representatives of Veneto painting in the 17th century. In the Sacred Sacraments Chapel, the Last Supper can be admired, a beautiful by G.B. Tiepolo, painted in 1738. In the 19th century chapel, dedicated to St. Amgela Merici, there are six paintings by Pietro Calcinardi dedicated to the life of this Saint from Desenzano..
	VILLA ROMANA: the origins of Desenzano road Crocifisso, 22 - Phone 030 9143547 Opening hours: every day from 08:30 to 19:00. Closed on Monday. Entrance fee 2 euros. This mosaic Roman Villa was discovered by chance in 1921, it shows various contruction phases between the 1st and 4th century A.D. and is considered one of the most important witnesses of the great Late Antique Villas in Northern Italy. The owener's name, Decentius, seems to have given rise to the place name, Desenzano, and, in fact, this Roman Villa is the centre that the town has slowly developed around. Besides the walls, a significant part of the mosaic flooring is still visible, with geometric patterns, fishing and hunting scenes, fairs and cupids. There is an antiquarium in the entrance, which displays various finds from the digs with ruins of statues, murales, items used in everyday life in the villa.
THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM: the oldest plough in the world. viale T: Dal Molin, 7c - via A. Anelli, 12 phone 030 9994216 Free entrance; guided tours can be booked (on payment). The Civic Archaeological Museum named after Giovanni Rambotti, was inaugurated in 1990 after the digs that were made in the eighties and the amazing discovery of a virtually complete plough, which dates back to the Bronze age (2000 B.C.). There are various other prehistoric finds which were found around Polada and Lavagnone, just a few miles from Desenzano. The Rambotti Museum is situated in the old Carmelites Convent of Santa Maria de Senoirbus. There is a lovely 15th century cloister where the sarcophagus of Atilia Urbica is kept (2nd-3rd century A.D.)

THE CHURCH OF ST. BIAGIO IN RIVOLTELLA

The Church of St. Biagio dominates the Rivoltella harbour, an independent municipality until 1926. Already documented at the beginning of 1400, the church was not consacrated until 1923. It contains a collection of stories about St. Biagio and canvases and frescoes dating back to the 17th and 18th centuries. Only the old Rivoltella Castle Tower remains, while the town centre which is closed to traffic, still conserves its original nature of a small farming hamlet.

ST. MARTIN OF THE BATTLE TOWER AND OSSUARY

Phone. 030 9910370 - Opening hours: ebery day
from June to September 9.00-12.30 e 14.00-19.00;
from October to February 8.30-12.00 e 14.00-19.00;
from October to February 8.30-12.00 e 14.00-19.00;
from March to May 8.30-12.30 e 14.00-18.30.

Just a few miles away from the town centre the area including the tower, the historic museum and the ossuary are located, recallimg the bloody battle that was fought between the Franco-Piedmont and the Austrian armies on June 24th, 1859. The ossuary chapel holds more than one thousand skulls and the bones of 2,619 soldiers; the museum conserves documents and relics from the Risorgimento period. The panoramic tower is more than 64 meters high and was inaugurated in 1893, dedicated to Vittorio Emanuele II. From the panoramic terrace, the lake, the surrounding mountains, the morainic hills with their vineyards and olive groves seem to embrace each other creating an unforgettable experience.

THE CASTLE: a beautiful terrace over the lake The Castle dominates the town and was probably built as a Roman castrum to defend it against the Barbarian invasions. It was later rebuilt during the period of the Communes and then reinforced in the 15th century, when it enclosed 120 houses and a church dedicated to St. Ambrogio. The solid walls remain of the original impressive building, which are broken up by circular and rectangular towers, with the keep at the Northern entrance. At the end of the 19th century it was transformed into barracks, and the interiors and the neo-gothic style facade can still be seen. There is one of the best of Lake Garda from the terrace.
	MALVEZZI SQUARE and the monuments in the town centre The historic centre dates back to 1500, being built by the architect from Brescia, Giulio Todeschini. In the centre of the arcade is the white palace of the Veneto Superintendent, an unfinished work by Todeschini, built between 1585 and 1588. The monument to the patron St. Angela Merici, stands in the square, work of Santo Calegari, erected in 1782 (although the plaque states 1772). On the lakeside, in the IV Novembre Park, there is the monument to the General from Desenzano, Achille Papa, work of Giancarlo Maroni, who was D'Annunzio's architect for the Vittoriale. In the same area, the monument to the victims of Cappelletti there is the monument dedicated to the Martyrs of the Resistance, by the Brescia sculptor, Mario Gatti. The monument in Piazza Matteotti is worth a visit and it is dedicated to the High-Speed Air Force division.
THE PLACES OF ST. ANGELA MERICI, PATRON SAINT OF DESENZANO The Patron St. Angela Merici, was born in Desenzano around 1474 and died in Brescia in 1540; she was canonised in 1807. There is an itinerary through the places where the Saint lived and worked, beginning from her birthplace in via Castello (memorial tablet), the Cathedral (chapel and altar dedicated to her, paintings, relics), continuing to the statue in Malvezzi Place and the Convent of the Orsoline nuns in via S. Maria. The itinerary also includes the house where the Saint spent most of her life, in Le Grezze; in Aldo Moro Square there is a modern church dedicated to her. The church is nearby that was built in 1684 in Machetto, where according to a holy tradition the Saint had a vision. However her most significant vision was in Brodazzo, where a recent highway connects to Salò. The Mericianum, a spiritual venue run by the Orsoline nuns, dominates the area.
	TODESCHINI PALACE and the Old Port The current harbour (called the Old Port), which was already mentioned back in 1274, was built in its current shape during the era of the Veneto Republic. In 1806, the construction of the wharf and lighthouse in Nordic style began, while the Venetian bridge was built in 1937. The Todeschini Palace overlooks the old dock. The stone of the unemployed is placed over the last column , where the town criers and those who were condemned for bankruptcy used to stand.