Valeggio sul Mincio

Valeggio sul Mincio
Comune
Comune di Valeggio sul Mincio

Coat of arms
Valeggio sul Mincio
Location of Valeggio sul Mincio in Italy
Coordinates: 45°21′N 10°44′E / 45.350°N 10.733°E / 45.350; 10.733
Country Italy
Region Veneto
Province Verona (VR)
Frazioni Salionze, Borghetto, Vanoni e Remelli
Government
  Mayor Angelo Tosoni
Area
  Total 63.9 km2 (24.7 sq mi)
Elevation 88 m (289 ft)
Population (31 October 2009)[1]
  Total 14,155
  Density 220/km2 (570/sq mi)
Demonym(s) Valeggiani
Time zone UTC+1 (CET)
  Summer (DST) UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code 37067, 37060
Dialing code 045
Patron saint St. George
Saint day 23 April
Website Official website

Valeggio sul Mincio is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Verona in the Italian region Veneto, located about 120 kilometres (75 mi) west of Venice and about 25 kilometres (16 mi) southwest of Verona. It is crossed by the Mincio river.

The economy is mostly based on agriculture, with some craftwork and industrial production.

Valeggio sul Mincio borders the following municipalities: Castelnuovo del Garda, Marmirolo, Monzambano, Mozzecane, Peschiera del Garda, Ponti sul Mincio, Roverbella, Sommacampagna, Sona, Villafranca di Verona, and Volta Mantovana.

History

Archaeological excavations in the Mincio valley include a Bronze Age settlements, some tombs dating to the Iron Age and some findings associated with the Etruscan civilization. A large Celtic necropolis, found in 1984 still partly buried under the current town, would prove the presence of that people from the 4th century BCE and the 1st century CE.

The creation of the villages of Valeggio and Borghetto dates to the Lombard rule in northern Italy. The monastery of Santa Maria was founded here, on the Mincio shore, was founded here in the 12th century; later it was a priory of the Knights Templar. The large medieval fortifications which characterize Valeggio (Scaliger castle, the Visconti Bridge and the Serraglio difensive line) were built between the 13th and the 14th centuries. In 1405 Valeggio became part of the Republic of Venice, and subsequently lost its strategic role, becoming an agricultural center and a silkworms trading market.

After the fall of the Republic of Venice in 1797, Valeggio was included in the Cisalpine Republic. Later it was part of the Italian Republic (1802-1805) and, after some decades under the Austrian rule, of the newly unified Kingdom of Italy.

Main sights

  • Borghetto, a frazione with the Ponte Visconteo ("Visconti Bridge"), a fortified dam built in 1393 by Gian Galeazzo Visconti, Duke of Milan. The bridge is 650 m long and 25 m wide. It was connected to the nearby Scaliger Castle by two tall merloned walls, and integrated in the fortified complex known as Serraglio which extended for c. 16 km in the Veronese plain up to Nogarole Rocca.
  • Villa Maffei Sigurtà, built in 1690.
  • The Tortellini were created in Valeggio sul Mincio
  • San Pietro In Cattedra: neoclassical church

Twin towns

References

  1. All demographics and other statistics: Italian statistical institute Istat.


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