Index

Introduction Valeggio sul Mincio Castello Scaligero Borghetto sul Mincio Conclusion

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Introduction

Even after living in Italy for more than 25 years, there are still a lot of places I haven't seen yet that leave me speechless with their beauty each time.
Last week, together with @lezra, we decided to go for a trip to Verona. In order not to make the whole trip in a day, we booked a room for one night in Borghetto sul Mincio, which is considered one of the most beautiful villages in the world and is about 30 min from Verona.
Borghetto is attached to the town of Valeggio sul Mincio, and both these towns have in common that they are located on the Mincio river.

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Valeggio sul Mincio

Valeggio is not really a memorable town, we took a quick tour around its streets, after leaving the car in one of the pay car parks near the centre (at a pretty good price I must say, 50 cents per hour).
Apart from the Town Hall building and a church with an interesting façade (@lezra liked the contrast between the white part with the door and the rest), nothing exciting to report.

 
  
Scroll to see all pictures of Valeggio's center

 
Scroll to see the pictures of the Parrocchia di San Pietro Apostolo

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Castello Scaligero

The only noteworthy element is probably only the Scaligero Castle, which stands on a hill and can be seen from both cities (and the opposite of course).

 
The stairs that lead to Borghetto from the castle

Below is the information on the explanatory plaques at the foot of the castle.

Scaligeri Castle (13th-14th c.)
Possibly already built in the Longobard epoch, between the sixth and seventh centuries, on the top of a hill, the first fortress controlled the strategic crossing point on the river Mincio in the below valley. The Round Tower, the most ancient among those left, displays a particular architectural style, possibly inspired by the Crusade's fortifications of the Holy Land. The fortification was divided into two different sections: the Fortress, the most equipped part of the entire structure, was built around the Round Tower. On the south side, a large rectangular plan wall was constructed, reinforced with towers, and called the Castle, it became a place in which Valeggio's population could find refuge in moments of danger.

The Castle, which overlooks the town of Valeggio, keeps unaltered the suggestive imposingness of the Middle Age fortifications. The part that can be visited used to be called "La Rocca".
Unfortunately for us, the castle was not open that day, so we could not visit it, but we were still able to enter the inner courtyard, which left me quite puzzled, as the main gate was open and there was no one on guard. Thinking that this is a historical building anyway, I thought it would be better guarded.

If I am honest, the castle makes much more of an impression seen from below, especially from the Borghetto side, than from inside, also because there is not much left. Then again, not having been able to go inside I cannot give a complete judgment, so do not take my words as truth, but from what I could see, it is nothing exceptional.

  
Scroll to see some pictures of the Castello Scaligero

About the largest part called "Il Castello", now we have only ruins of the external walls. The choice of building a castle on top of this hill wasn't a chance. In fact, in the Mincio valley underneath, there was one of the safest and most important crossing points of the whole river, between Garda Lake and Mantua. Just in that time, the river marked out the boundary between the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation and the Marquisate of Tuscia, formed by the vast estates of the powerful Canossa family. The passing of time, the wars, and the negligence of men damaged these old monuments. A narrow and steep way leads us up to the Castle; the walk through the green of the hill and the elegant Art Nouveau Villas is pleasant and relaxing. Over there you can admire the lovely view of the Mincio Valley on one side and on the other side a view of Valeggio and the beginning of the Venetian plain; northward on the clearest days, you can see the Alps. Nowadays in summer, the inner courtyard becomes a stage for the events of the Summer Festival.

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Borghetto sul Mincio

Back in the car, we finally headed in the direction of Borghetto. Here, thanks also to the advice of our host that evening, we found free parking near the entrance to the town. For this, I have to thank her enormously because, one of the first car parks I had found, for a fee, would have cost me over 12 euros for the whole day.
I will therefore leave you the addresses of the two streets (with a clickable link to Google Maps) where you can park for free in the city:

Via Andre Mantegna

Via Leonardo Da Vinci

Obviously, the two streets are not huge, so places are limited. At the time we went, it was easy to find parking as it was low season. We were probably the only tourists on that day, and in fact, all the shops (really all, including bars and restaurants) in town were closed. So we recommend that at other, busier times, you go early in the morning to find parking.

To get to the two car parks from Valeggio, you cross the "Ponte Visconteo", built-in 1393 by Gian Galeazzo Visconti, Duke of Milan, about 650 meters long and 25 meters wide, on which the "Festa del Nodo d'Amore" is celebrated every year.

From the bridge, you have a privileged view of the town and you can take some excellent photos using its structure with some 'windows' that make them even more impressive.

  
Some pictures from the Visconteo bridge

   
Some "artistic" pictures 😅

Upon entering the town, we immediately understood why it is considered one of the most beautiful villages in Italy. Borghetto is a little gem, with its mills, waterways, and narrow streets of bygone days left us breathless.

   
Some photos of the small center of Borghetto 

  
Some photos taken later that day

The most recurring word you see in the town is a fairy tale and frankly, we couldn't agree more, entering Borghetto feels like entering a fairy tale. And I am sure that having gone there in this period we did not even manage to enjoy its beauty to the full. Visiting it in spring, one can enjoy the vibrancy of the colors typical of this beautiful season, which in the small village take on the purplish appearance of lavender in particular. With @lezra, we said to each other that we would definitely visit again in spring.
Of course, I also recommend the accommodation that hosted us for the night, which is located in the center of the village with a great view. Here is the link:

Le Finestre su Borghetto

Our room, the "ninfee" one, had the river which was flowing exactly under our window, and the noise of the water flowing was very relaxing and helped the sleep.

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Conclusion

Borghetto sul Mincio is one of the most beautiful Borgo we saw in Italy and together with Civita di Bagnoregio (look here for my post on the "dying city") and Brisighella (we will do a post asap) is for sure in my top 3.
One of the biggest regrets, we and @lezra had, was that we didn't have a chance to visit the Parco Giardino Sigurtà which is very famous in the area, and if you take a look at the site you will understand why. The reason why we weren't able to visit it was that the park was closed and opened in March, so another very good reason to visit the city during spring.

  
The beauty of Borhetto 😍

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_{All photos were taken with our phones.
Farewell image and text separators, created by me with Canva}