About thirty kilometers from Verona, where the city gives way to the countryside, a small jewel is hidden that is reflected in the waters of its river: Borghetto sul Mincio.
If we really wanted to be precise the correct name of the place would be simply Borghetto, Fraction Valeggio. The toponymy, however, is not very important. What attracts the visitor is undoubtedly its beauty which has allowed it to be counted among the most beautiful villages in Italy. The small village is a small brushstroke of an ancient world, where the history of ancient medieval knights is intertwined with the tireless arms of the millers.
Borghetto sul Mincio: the traces of an ancient past
Borghetto sul Mincio has very ancient origins. The first settlement dates back to theLombard period. The traces of their passage are still clearly visible by observing the Curtis Direction erected around the seventh century after Christ. This fortification directly controlled the river Mincio, and it was in this structure that the taxes for the toll on the watercourse were collected. After i Longobardi, Borghetto sul Mincio entered the aims of many medieval families. First i Gonzaga, then the Serene di Venezia, the Visconti and finally the Austrian and French armies. Its position was particularly strategic for the control of theVeneto area.
Even the medieval legacies are still very present in the small village. Undoubtedly the Visconteo Bridge and Scaligero castle. The first was designed in the XNUMXth century by Gian Galeazzo Visconti, duke of Milano, and consisted of a fortified dam useful to control the borders of his duchy. The Scaligero castle it was instead active between the XNUMXth and XNUMXth centuries. From up there it was possible to keep an eye on the whole Mincio Valley. Today only a small portion remains standing, represented by the Round Tower and from one of the surviving drawbridges.
A village of water and mills
At the end of the Venetian domination Borghetto sul Mincio he lost his military functions and converted to agriculture. A mill after another, and it seemed that the life of the small village entered deeply in symbiosis with the Mincio river. Indeed the mills represented the main livelihood activity of the village. Today their blades have stopped spinning, and they have turned into bed and breakfast and craft shops. However, all this does not break that magical atmosphere that hovers around Borghetto sul Mincio. The few remaining houses that are still reflected in the river continue to offer suggestive views.
Borghetto sul Mincio is an unmissable destination for all those tourists who visit the areas around the city for the first time Lake Garda. To fully enjoy the charm of this timeless destination, it is advisable to take a walk along the river in the evening until you reach the wooden bridge. From here the red of the sunset will descend to the valley and then mix with the waters of the river, and finally captivate the visitor's eyes. Although it takes little time to visit Borghetto sul Mincio let yourself be carried away by this enchanted place. The gurgling water will be a constant background. So let yourself be carried away by the current in the beauty of this timeless place.
