Lonato del Garda

Lonato del Garda (before 1 July 2007 Lonato) is a town and comune in the province of Brescia, in Lombardy, Italy. Lonato is located in the middle of northern Italy, about half way between Milan and Venice, on the south-west shore of Lake Garda, the biggest lake in Italy.

The commune is bordered by those of near Castiglione delle Stiviere, Desenzano del Garda, Calcinato,Bedizzole, Calvagese della Riviera, Padenghe sul Garda, Pozzolengo, Montichiari, Solferino.The town is a holiday destination due to its scenic lakeside location about 5 kilometers from the lake) and its numerous historical and artistic monuments and museums, prehistoric sites (pile-dwellings), Roman ruins, Medieval castle, Baroque churches and modern museums.

History

The town lies on the landscape of Morenic Hill, on the south-west side of Lake Garda. Here the first human settlements appeared in the Bronze Age on pile-dwellings, as testified by archaeological findings in the areas of Polada and Lavagnone. The name Lonato is believed from some scholars to derive from the Celtic term “Lona” meaning little lake.

In the imperial Roman time, Lonato was crossed by the Basilica Emilia way, which used to connect Gallia with Aquileia. Roman ruins were found in the area of Monte Mario and Pozzo.

The town was destroyed in the year 909 by the Hungarian, after which a new castle was built and the town fortified. In the following centuries Lonato was destroyed and rebuilt various times. In 1512 King Louis XII of France...
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