Malcesine on Lake Garda

Framed by the striking slopes of Monte Baldo, the first town in the province of Veneto presents itself on Lake Garda: the picturesque medieval town of Malcesine. With its historic center, its winding alleys, its picturesque houses, courtyards, archways, stores and other sights, it attracts thousands and thousands of tourists every year. In addition, a cable car leads from Malcesine to Monte Baldo.

The eventful history of Malcesine

Due to its exposed position, Malcesine was a military base from ancient times: already settled by the Etruscans and Romans, the Longobards built the ancestor of today's castle in the 6th century. After its destruction, the Franks built a new one on its foundations, which was later rebuilt and extended by the Scaligeri. This powerful Veronese noble family controlled the fortunes of the city from 1277-1387. After a brief interlude by the Visconti of Milan, Malcesine was mainly under Venetian rule from the beginning of the 15th century until 1797 and largely under Austria from 1798. With the exception of its northern tip, Lake Garda - and therefore also Malcesine - was annexed to the Kingdom of Italy in 1866, which had been founded five years earlier.

About the name Malcesine

The origin of the place name is still a mystery today. The closest explanation derives it from the Latin "malus silex", which means "bad (perishable) hard stone". In view of the stone-covered, rocky surroundings or the huge boulder, on which the original cell of the city stands, probably quite plausible...

Interesting facts about Malcesine

Besides Goethe, its most illustrious visitor, many other notable personalities visited the small town of Malcesine. Among the most famous are probably the writer Franz Kafka from Prague and the Austrian painter Gustav Klimt.

In the valley station of the Malcesine cable car you can see one of the red and white gondolas that went up Monte Baldo from 1962 to 2001.