Malcesine is one of the most visited and most charming towns on the Lake Garda in Italy. A beautiful castle, a cable car that takes visitors to a 1,800 meter high peak of the nearby mountain as well as its architecture, narrow streets and numerous shops, make Malcesine an irresistible tourist destination of the lake.
Malcesine is a small town located on the eastern shore of the Lake Garda in the region Veneto, in Italy.
The first inhabitants of Malcesine were Etruscans who inhabited this area already in 500 B.C. Etruscans were a wealthy and powerful civilization of ancient Italy which was assimilated into the Roman Empire.
After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, the Lombards occupied this area and decided to build a castle on the remains of already existing fortifications. This fortress was partially destroyed by the Franks in 509, who after they have defeated the Lombards decided to rebuild the fortress.
In the 13th century, the castle together with other towns of the Lake Garda fell under the rule of the della Scala family (the ruling family of Verona) which rebuilt the structure. This is the reason why even the Malcesine castle (as well as other castles on the lake, for example the Sirmione Castle) is called Scaligero (after della Scala). The castle stayed under the rule of the Scala family till 1387, when it fell under the rule of the Visconti Family from Milan. In 1405, together with other towns on the eastern shore of the lake, Malcesine fell under the rule of the Venetian Republic, a part of which it remained for 4 centuries. Venetian rule over Malcesine was only interrupted once for 8 years, during the period 1508-1516, when it was taken by Maximilian I (the king of the Holy Roman Empire).
In 1797, the entire area was occupied by Napoleon’s troops. However Napoleon’s rule didn’t last for long, since already in 1798 the region Veneto became a part of the Austrian Empire. Finally, in 1866, Malcesine became a part of the independent Kingdom of Italy.
Visitors will have a chance to enjoy a beautiful Italian town and its tourist attractions. Apart from numerous shops, bars and colorful stores there are two very well-known tourist attractions of Malcesine: the Malcesine Castle and Malcesine Cable car. The cable car is a unique experience since you will have a chance to climb the mountain Baldo from the level of the lake to 1,800 meters of altitude.
