The municipality of Bardolino is a well-known resort on Lake Garda in the Province of Verona in the Italian region of Veneto. It is one of the more popular destinations at the southern end of Lake Garda. Bardolino is located approximately (130 kilometers) west of Venice and about 16 miles (25 kilometers) northwest of Verona. The comune is best known for the wine grown in its surrounding hills.
Bardolino has a long and rich history. The remains of buildings from previous generations prove this site was a village well used by fisherman and growers and producers of both wine and olive oil. There are several nearby municipalities to Bardolino and they include: Affi, Cavaion Veronese, Costermano, Garda, Lazise, Manerba del Garda, Moniga del Garda, Padenghe sul Garda, and Pastrengo. The current economy is supported through tourism and wine production.
Like most of the settlements around Lake Garda, the Bardolino area is dotted with reminders of Roman as well as pre-Roman inhabitation. Archeologists have found evidence of a prehistoric fishing settlement in nearby Cisano, just to the south. Much more common, though, are visible remains of buildings dating back to the era of Scaliger rule.
The center of Bardolino has a number of historically-interesting buildings. The Romanesque church of San Severo on the main Gardesana lake road dates from the 11th century (the church which is visible near the port is that of Saint Nicolo é Severo and was built much later in the 19th century. The old Scaliger fortifications can also be seen at various points in the old town and pedestrian center.
History
Perhaps due to its natural beauty, Bardolino was an attractive site to install headquarters for invading armies. It is known to have been the administrative center for the Lombards, Franks, Goths and others and eventually came under the control of the Venetians and Scaligers. Bardolino is thought to have been named after a Lombard princess and nowadays is most closely associated with the wine of the same name.
In the early Middle Ages, Berengar of Italy had a castle built there, during the time when the area was under the suzerainty of the Bobbio Abbey, a monastery founded by Irish Saint Columbanus in 614, and around which later grew up the town of Bobbio, in the province of Piacenza, Emilia-Romagna.
Scaliger of Verona, enlarged the fortifications to encompass the whole village. Later, after their fall, it became part of the Republic of Venice which had a marine base there. In 1526 it was sacked by the Landsknechts. Under the Lombardy-Venetia, it was an Austrian administrative center: in 1848 it revolted against them in the wake of the first Piedmontese victories in the First Italian War of Independence. However, later the Austrians retaliated with ravages and shootings. It was annexed to the newly formed Kingdom of Italy in 1866.
Bardolino Wine
Bardolino vineyards cover the surrounding hills behind the Lake Garda coastline. They spread outward towards Affi and the Verona-Bolzano motorway. Bardolino has a variety of wines in the controlled DOC area (Denominazione di Origine Controllata) which is close to the equally well-known Valpolicella region near Verona. A popular wine tour encompasses the vineyards on the Bardolino Wine Route ("La Strada del Vino Bardolino").
Bardolino Grape & Wine Festival
Every year, towards the end of summer, Bardolino plays host to its Festival of the Grape ("Festa dell'Uva"). The "grape cure" season actually starts in September and carries on into October. A "grape cure" was originally promoted in the 19th century in various wine-producing areas for the alleged medical benefits of grape juice - cleansing the stomach and liver amongst other health benefits. It involves the consumption of about 70 ounces (2 kilos) of grapes per day. The Festival is held during the first week of October and boasts stands serving local food and drink. The climax of the event are the awards for the best wines of the year.
Olive Oil Museum, Cisano
In addition to its vineyards, to the southeast of Lake Garda are its Olive groves. There is an Olive Oil Museum located in the hamlet of Cisano to the south of Bardolino on the main Gardesana lake road. It includes exhibits covering the different stages of olive oil production, with examples of historic tools and documents. It was the first museum of olive oil in Italy when it was opened in the 1980s and welcomes 50,000 visitors a year.
Main sights
Church of San Zeno (mid-9th century), one of the few Carolingian edifices in Italy. It has traces of original fresco decorations.
Church of San Severo (11th-12th centuries). It has 12th-14th-century frescoes, and an early medieval crypt.
Church of San Nicolò and San Severo (1830-1844) by the architect Bartolomeo Giuliari, parochial church.
Monastery of San Colombano (11th century), a dependency of the Bobbio Abbey
Pieve of Santa Maria, rebuilt in the 12th century above a 7th-century early Christian church, which had been in turn constructed over an ancient pagan temple.
City walls (12th century)
Museo Sisàn, dedicated to fishing and bird hunting in the Lake Garda area.
Zeni Wine Museum, born in 1991, has been realized inside the Zeni Cellar and it exposes objects above all of the Veronese wine culture. Free entry for individual visitors, against reservation for groups.
