SHARRYLAND
Borghetto sul Mincio, among the most beautiful villages in Italy
Known to all as a romantic hamlet, it recounts a "embattled" past
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What it is and where it is Borghetto sul Mincio
In a beautiful environmental setting, on the Mincio River, among waters and land covered with vineyards, stands a charming, tiny medieval village. In Borghetto sul Mincio, a hamlet of Valeggio, nothing is really missing: the river, the mills, a castle towering over it, and a splendid bridge, the Visconti dam bridge.
Why it is special: the defensive structures beyond the beautiful village
Crossing the Mincio River on foot and entering the borgo through the tower gate means leaving reality outside and diving into a world apart where time is suspended and where you can walk among colorful houses in search of the mills, sit at tables at the water's edge, see the Visconti bridge from different angles, climb the stepped path from the old station to the Scaliger Castle. Only the ruins of the perimeter walls remain, but it is very impressive.
Not to be missed: the ancient fortress bridge over the Mincio River.
The most fascinating thing about Borghetto, however, is the Visconti Bridge, built by Gian Galeazzo Visconti as a fortress bridge to defend the territory of Verona, recently annexed to Milan, with a system of fortifications that included the castle. It was 650 meters long and 21 meters wide, 8 meters high over the river, interspersed with gate towers and drawbridges to cut off passage in case of need. Today its ruins can be seen but it is always a thrill to cross it.
A bit of history
The village was founded in Lombard times at a point where the river was easily forded; it was then fortified first by the Scaligeri and then by the Visconti, who provided it with a castle and bridge in 1393. In 1405, however, the town was taken from the Milanese and came under the Republic of Venice.
Fun fact: Luchino Visconti and the Battle of Custoza.
In Borghetto some shots of the film "Senso," by Luchino Visconti, those of the Battle of Custoza, were filmed in 1953. A 50-meter walkway was set up on the Visconteo Bridge on which the car carrying the camera ran. In the village of Valeggio, warehouses were set up to store the more than 3,000 military uniforms, rifles, wagons, and cannons. However, the film was considered an outrage to Risorgimento values and censored; of the scenes shot here in the film, only eight minutes remained.
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