Tour of the Borghetto Village:
It is classified as a “Historic Estate of Italy”.
“Borghetto” means town, estate, place. This fairy-tale place owes its charm to the harmony of nature and history, which have managed to preserve it through the centuries. The small village of Borghetto is located in the valley of the Mincio River in the municipality of Valeggio, in the province of Verona, at the foot of the Visconti Bridge. The unique medieval charm and originality of Borghetto has made it one of the most beautiful villages in Italy.
In the 14th century it was part of the Serraglio defence system, even its name does not literally mean “fortified settlement”. The atmosphere of the Middle Ages can be felt everywhere: from the crenellated walls, to the ringing bells of the church of San Marco, to the wheels of the ancient mill, to the fortifications of the Visconti Bridge. On the bridge, traditionally, once a year, in June, a dinner is served for more than 3000 people.
You can visit the Scaliger Castle in Valeggio sul Mincio. According to historical research, the first building on the site of the modern Malcesine Castle was erected in ancient times (at the end of the 1st millennium BC). Subsequently, with the appearance of the Lombards in Italy, a fortress was built on this site. It was repeatedly subjected to global modifications and reconstructions. After the Franks, the castle was captured by the Hungarians and for some time belonged to the Bishop of Verona. At the end of the XIII century it was bought by one of the Scaliger family – Alberto dela Scala. His family owned the Malcesine Castle for over 100 years, which is why it received its second name, the Scaliger Castle.
Visit the Church of San Pietro in Cattedra, with its strikingly unusual façade and beautiful bronze doorways, which was commissioned in 2006 to mark the 200th anniversary of the church’s consecration. Built in the neoclassical style, it was erected in 1753 on the ruins of an earlier 17th-century church, but some documents show a Romanesque parish church dating back to 1145.
You’ll stop for lunch at a local restaurant, where you can try tortellini (dumplings) made of thin, almost transparent, dough with meat or pumpkin fillings that only this place knows how to make. For antique lovers, you can visit the antique market, which is open once a month. Take a walk along the Mincho River, where there is a 15 kilometre long “health road”. Veronians often come here for cycling, rollerblading or just for a stroll. On the way back you can visit Villafranca, where you can savour the famous Veronese sweet dish of puff pastry (Sfogliatine di Villafranca).
