Swallowtail battlements built in brick crown the main towers of a medieval castle, the Castello Scaligero or Rocca Scaligera, at Sirmione, Lombardy, Italy. Built in the 1300s, the castle takes its name from the Della Scala family, ruling dynasty in Verona, who dominated the area at the time. It is one of the best-preserved Scaliger fortresses.
Sirmione, Lake Garda, Lombardy, Italy: brick swallowtail battlements or merlons designed for medieval archers crown the three main towers of the Rocca Scaligera, founded in the 14th century by a della Scala Lord of Verona to defend the lake’s southern shores and provide his warships with a fortified haven. The castle, also known as Castello Scaligero, was built at the narrowest point of the Sirmio peninsula. It s the best preserved of the three main fortresses that defended Scaliger territories on the eastern and southern sides of the lake. The castle includes a very rare example of a 14th century fortified harbour, built to shelter Veronese and Venetian vessels. It was built to an irregular shape, perhaps to shield the space inside from strong prevailing north winds. The Rocca’s importance as a defensive structure had declined by the 1500s in favour of the fortress at Peschiera del Garda. During periods of Napoleonic and Austrian domination, it was used as an armoury and barracks and it later housed municipal offices, a post office and a prison. A restoration programme starting in 1919 involved clearing the fortified harbour of many tonnes of debris, accumulated over the centuries, that had completely displaced the lake water. Sirmione is now a very popular tourist destination and the Rocca Scaligera is one of the top visitor attractions in the Italian Lake District.
Size: 3008px × 2000px
Location: Rocca Scaligera, Sirmione, Lake Garda, Lombardy, Italy
Photo credit: © Terence Kerr / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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