Things to do in Riva Del Garda, Trentino-Alto Adige: The Best Points of Interest & Landmarks

The Bastione, a tower of grey stone, located at the foot of Mount Rocchetta, is one the symbols of Riva del Garda, overlooking the city and Lake Garda. It was built in the early XVI century, just after the end of Venetian domination over Riva. It was destroyed in 1703 by the French troops under leadership of general Vendôme, who mined the main body thus rendering it unusable. It’s a few minutes walk from the port of Riva, along a road that winds through the black pinewood of the lower Rocchetta. The path then rises further to the chapel of St. Barbara on the mountainside (610m) and the Rocchetta itself (1520m). The Bastione has recently been restored. Visitors may see the imposing external bodywork and what is left of the inside from a winding staircase. The locations enjoys an excellent view.

The name refers to the large chain which in the past centuries was stretched across the water in defence of the harbour. Until 1929, the piazza was home to the Imperial Customs House: a sign of the borderline which for centuries separated the northern stretch of the lake from the regions just a little further to the south. On this square the baroque statue of San Giovanni Nepomuceno, patron saint of the waters, can be found, which until the Great War stood in Piazza Benacense.

Formerly called Piazza Granda and then Piazza Benacense, this piazza is the heart of both the old and modern town. It is the location for the Office of the Podestà and the Town Hall, the Torre Apponale a several houses of the nobility. The arcades dating back to the period of Scaligera rule, which close off the piazza towards the harbour and the lake, used to house the markets and shops.

This imposing structure was built in the 1920s to generate power from Lake Ledro which is channelled through a pressurized tunnel in the rock. The architect behind the project was Giancarlo Maroni. The numen aquarum on the facade was the work of the sculptor Silvio Zaniboni.

On one of the offshoots of Mount San Martino (850 mt), above the village of Campi, you can find the San Martino archaeological site. The most important find is the ruins of a large building from the roman age, most likely a sanctuary where female deities were worshipped, constructed over the remains of a former cult rituals site. The location was known since the prehistoric age, and inhabited continuously during the second iron age (IV to I century B.C) and past the Roman age well into the Middle Ages. The findings found in this area are preserved in the Museum in Riva del Garda; some copies can be seen at the Museum point at Pranzo.

This piazza was built after the First World War as a market square, demolishing a few houses that had been badly damaged by shelling. The “fish arcade” faces onto the square, whose design design by Enrico Odorizzi may have been inspired by the style of Giancarlo Maroni.

Originally built in the Middle Ages, this gate was rebuilt by the Venetians in the second half of the th 15 century and was restored in 1536 by the bishop Bernardo Clesio. It was reduced to its present state during the second half of the 19th century under orders from the Podestà Baruffaldi.