Legnago

Municipality

Via XX Settembre, 29
Legnago (VR) – 37045

Institutional website address

Luogo di timbratura del Lasciapassare incluso nel kit “Viaggio nel tempo”:

Tourist information office

Via Matteotti, 39
 

Historical overview

Located south of Verona and close to other big towns, Legnago has always played an important military and commercial role. It has ancient origins, with its fortifications first mentioned in documents dating back to the 10th century. Legnago was also the only place in the area boasting a bridge over the Adige river. The medieval fortress was quadrangular in shape, with imposing circular towers at each corner. Under Venetian rule since 1405, as commemorated by the surviving five stone lions, its walls were destroyed after the War of the League of Cambrai. The fortifications were then rebuilt from scratch based on a design by the architect Michele Sanmicheli. Following the dissolution of the Venetian Republic and the subsequent French interregnum, the city came under Austrian control in 1814 and became a stronghold of the so-called Quadrilatero. Ultimately, the entire fortification system was demolished due to natural causes (floods) and human intervention after Legnago’s annexation to the Kingdom of Italy.

City itinerary

Legnago’s fortifications disappeared due to various events, including the floods of 1868 and 1882, as well as the subsequent dismantling. However, traces of the star-shaped fortress can still be seen in the current road network. Starting from Piazza della Libertà (lit. Freedom Square), you can admire the 19th-century Cathedral and the Torrione (lit. the Great Tower), the only remaining part of the medieval fortress, as well as other traces of the Venetian walls in Via Leopardi, where the foundations of the ancient bastion survive beneath the modern buildings. Heading towards the intersection with the Town Hall on your left and the 20th-century Salieri Theatre on your right, you will arrive at the site of the former Bastione S. Giovanni (lit. St. John Bastion) and the end of the historic fortified centre of Legnago. Follow Via Matteotti (formerly Via Mure Demolite), passing the Casa Museo Fondazione Fioroni (lit. Fioroni Foundation House-Museum) on the left, which houses much of the city’s historical and artistic heritage, until you reach Piazza Garibaldi (lit. Garibaldi Square): here you will find a plaque commemorating the passage of the Hero of Two Worlds and the Fontana del Sole (lit. the Sun Fountain) by Gio’ Pomodoro. Located right at the entrance to the square are several panels and paving stones made from different construction materials, which serve as a reminder that this was once the site of the ancient Porta Mantova (lit. Mantua Gate), one of the main entrances to the Legnago stronghold. Continue to Piazza 5 Martiri (lit. 5 Martyrs Square), where you will find plaques commemorating the nineteenth-century floods, and then on to Piazza S. Martino (lit. St. Martin Square), which is dominated by a twentieth-century war memorial. A short staircase here leads up to the banks of the Adige. After passing Piazza della Libertà again, an easy cycle and pedestrian path leads to the Austrian Ospedale alla Prova (lit. alla Prova Hospital), which is now home to the Environmental Archaeological Centre – Civic Museum. Here, pre-protohistoric artefacts from the Veronese plain are preserved. Also worth a visit is the centre of Porto di Legnago on the left bank of the Adige, which boasts a 20th-century Marian shrine decorated with interesting and colourful sgraffito frescoes.

Places of Interest

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Useful Links