Borghetto sul Mincio






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Built on the banks of the River Mincio, nestling in the valley surrounded by morainic hills and just a short walk from the town centre; it is undoubtedly Valeggio sul Mincio’s best-known hamlet…
One of the most beautiful villages in Italy
Borghetto is built on the banks of the River Mincio, nestling in the valley surrounded by morainic hills and just a short walk from the town centre
Borghettoit is undoubtedly Valeggio sul Mincio’s best-known hamlet for its history, landscape and its monuments - which make this place so interesting that it has recently been included in the Club of the "Most Beautiful Villages in Italy".
This small village, built in harmony with the River Mincio and characterised by historic fortifications dating back to the medieval ages, owes its charm to the balanced relationship that history and nature have preserved almost intact over the centuries and today represents a unique village to be visited at least once in a lifetime.
The oldest part of the village still keeps the characteristic appearance of a "medieval village", with the bell tower, the wheels of the water mills (once used for milling wheat and cereals) and the fortresses of the Ponte Visconteo (Visconti Bridge), an extraordinary fortified dam built in 1393 at the behest of Gian Galeazzo Visconti, Duke of Milan, to ensure the impenetrability of the eastern borders of the duchy.
The "Ponte Lungo” (Long Bridge) (as it is commonly called by the villagers) is 650 metreslong, about 25 metres wide and 9 metres above river level.) It is connected to the overlooking Castello Scaligeroby two high crenellated walls and integrated into a fortified structure called the "Serraglio", which stretched for about 16 km to the plains of Nogarole Rocca in its time.
The spectacular sight of the Ponte Visconti and the Castello Scaligero, together with the beautiful natural setting and places of historical importance, make Borghetto a popular tourist destination. Along the banks of the Mincio you can spend pleasant days immersed in the peace and tranquillity of its quiet streets; visit the small 18th century Chiesa di San Marco Evangelista church (sec. XVIII), built on the remains of a previous 11th century Romanesque church, and admire the mysterious statue of S. Giovanni Nepumoceno (St. John of Nepomuk) who, according to tradition, protects those who fall into the waters of the river from drowning.