Manerba del Garda is a town and ''

comune The (; plural: ) is a local administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions ('' regioni'') and provinces (''province''). The can also ...

'' in the

province of Brescia The Province of Brescia ( it, provincia di Brescia; Brescian: ) is a Province in the Lombardy administrative region of northern Italy. It has a population of some 1,265,964 (as of January 2019) and its capital is the city of Brescia. With an ar ...

, in Lombardy. It is located at the southwest side of the

Lake Garda Lake Garda ( it, Lago di Garda or ; lmo, label= Eastern Lombard, Lach de Garda; vec, Ƚago de Garda; la, Benacus; grc, Βήνακος) is the largest lake in Italy. It is a popular holiday location in northern Italy, about halfway between ...

. It is bounded by the comunes of San Felice del Benaco, Puegnago sul Garda, Moniga del Garda,

Polpenazze del Garda Polpenazze del Garda ( Gardesano: ) is a ''comune'' in the province of Brescia, in Lombardy, northern Italy. It is situated near the western shore of Lake Garda. World heritage site It is home to one or more prehistoric pile-dwelling (or stilt h ...

and Soiano del Lago. Manebra del Garda is divided into the seven hamlets of Solarolo, Montinelle, Balbiana, Pieve, Trevisago, Campagnola and Gardoncino.

History

Manerba was founded, according to the legend, in devotion to the goddess

Minerva Minerva (; ett, Menrva) is the Roman goddess of wisdom, justice, law, victory, and the sponsor of arts, trade, and strategy. Minerva is not a patron of violence such as Mars, but of strategic war. From the second century BC onward, the Rom ...

. Other historians trace the name to the Gauls Cenomani, stemming from the union of the terms ''mon'', leader, and ''erb'', a military zone, identifying Manerba as residence of the chief of the tribe. A charter of Frederick II dating from 1 November 1221 mentions the territory surrounding the ancient Church of Manerba as ''Tenense'', whence its current name, Valtenesi.
Manerba turistic site. The presence of man in the Garda area goes back to prehistoric times: in the Manerba area are remains of a Mesolithic village, while under natural terrace located in the foothills of the '' Rocca (architecture), Rocca'' (castle) are traces of a

Neolithic The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several p ...

settlement from between 4,500 and 4,000 BC, and an important necropolis dating from the Copper Age. The Valtenesi saw the construction of several castles starting from the 13th century AD, some of which erected on the ruins of Roman forts. The tower of the castle in the center of Manerba represents the convergence point of a radial pattern that connects the towers of all the municipalities around. This is the oldest castle in the Valtenesi, built in the 12th/13th centuries on the ruins of a medieval fortress and of a settlement dating to the

Iron Age The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age ( Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age ( Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostl ...

, and is firmly anchored on the Manerba cliffs hanging over the southern basin of Lake Garda.

Main sights

Manerba is home to several prehistoric pile-dwellings (or stilt house) settlements that are part of the

Prehistoric Pile dwellings around the Alps Prehistoric pile dwellings around the Alps are a series of prehistoric pile dwelling (or stilt house) settlements in and around the Alps built from about 5000 to 500 BC on the edges of lakes, rivers or wetlands. In 2011, 111 sites located variousl ...

UNESCO World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...

.UNESCO World Heritage Site - Prehistoric Pile dwellings around the Alps
/ref> Manerba houses the Rocca di Manerba del Garda which is characterized by several archaeological sites.

Municipal government

Manerba is headed by a

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

(') assisted by a legislative body, the ', and an executive body, the '. Since 1995 the mayor and members of the ' are directly elected together by resident citizens, while from 1945 to 1995 the mayor was chosen by the legislative body. The ' is chaired by the mayor, who appoints others members, called '. The offices of the ' are housed in a building usually called the ' or '. Since 1995 the mayor of Manerba is directly elected by citizens, originally every four, then every five years. The current mayor is Flaviano Mattiotti ( FI), elected on 26 May 2019 with the 53.4% of the votes.

Gallery

File:Solarolo vista da Balbiana Manerba del Garda.jpg File:Chiesa Assunta facciata Solarolo Manerba del Garda.jpg File:Chiesa San Giovanni Battista Decollato a Sorarolo Manerba del Garda.jpg File:Chiesa della Santissima Trinità Manerba del Garda.jpg File:Chiesa di Santa Maria in Valtenesi facciata Manerba del Garda.jpg File:Chiesa di San Giorgio Manerba del Garda.jpg File:Chiesa del Santissimo Nome di Maria facciata Est a Balbiana Manerba del Garda.jpg File:Arco a a Balbiana Manerba del Garda.jpg File:Torre del castello lato Est di Manerba del Garda.jpg File:Ruderi della Chiesa San Siro e Chiesa Santa Maria Manerba del Garda.jpg File:Punta Sasso a Manerba del Garda.jpg File:La Rocca Punta Sasso oliveto a Manerba del Garda.jpg File:Lake Garda - Solarolo, Brescia, Italy - October 18, 2019 01.jpg File:Chiesa di Santa Maria in Valtenesi lato Ovest Manerba del Garda.jpg File:La Rocca di Manerba del Garda con croce.jpg

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Manerba Del Garda Cities and towns in Lombardy Populated places on Lake Garda