Desenzano on the lake of Garda with Gardaweb the tourist portal of the lake of Garda

The territory of the municipality of Volta Mantovana is located in a countryside which is characterised by the presence of hillside elevations of a significant altitude and by an intriguing natural environment. The town itself has ancient origins and is situated precisely on the first morainic hills overlooking the Po valley. The first settlements there can be traced back to the phase of the Polada culture and to the middle Bronze Age. Thanks to its strategic geographical position, between Lake Garda and the plains around the river Mincio, over the centuries it has been used as a bulwark during a number of wars, amongst which the famous battle of Solferino and S. Martino. It is a place of many historical and architectural beauties. Evocative glimpses and the atmosphere of times past are hiding around every corner, waiting to enthral the tourist. The town Castle was built by Beatrice di Canossa and dates back to 1053 and part of its tower is still preserved. Inside the Castle area there are two noble residences, Villa Cavriani and Villa Venier, which was to become a habitation of the Gonzaga family. In the surrounding countryside, some farmhouses of medieval origin still survive and are particular in aspects of their structure: barrel vaults on the ground floor, small windows and closed courtyards with the typical well.