Bardolino is a ''

comune A (; : , ) is an administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions () and provinces (). The can also have the City status in Italy, titl ...

'' (municipality) in the Province of Verona in the Italian region

Veneto Veneto, officially the Region of Veneto, is one of the 20 regions of Italy, located in the Northeast Italy, north-east of the country. It is the fourth most populous region in Italy, with a population of 4,851,851 as of 2025. Venice is t ...

, located about west of

Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...

and about northwest of

Verona Verona ( ; ; or ) is a city on the Adige, River Adige in Veneto, Italy, with 255,131 inhabitants. It is one of the seven provincial capitals of the region, and is the largest city Comune, municipality in the region and in Northeast Italy, nor ...

Geography

Located on the eastern shore of

Lake Garda Lake Garda (, , or , ; ; ) is the largest lake in Italy. It is a popular holiday location in northern Italy, between Brescia and Milan to the west, and Verona and Venice to the east. The lake cuts into the edge of the Eastern Alps, Italian Alp ...

, Bardolino borders the following municipalities: Affi, Cavaion Veronese, Costermano, Garda, Lazise, Manerba del Garda, Moniga del Garda, Padenghe sul Garda, and Pastrengo. The economy is mostly based on tourism and production of wine (including the Bardolino DOC).

History

Archaeological excavations have proven the presence of humans in the area since prehistoric times, in the area of Cisano. There are also traces of

ancient Romans The Roman people was the ethnicity and the body of Roman citizenship, Roman citizens (; ) during the Roman Kingdom, the Roman Republic, and the Roman Empire. This concept underwent considerable changes throughout the long history of the Roman ...

, though the modern settlement dates to the early Middle Ages, when Berengar of Italy (983) had a castle built here. In that period the area was under the suzerainty of the Bobbio Abbey. In the 12th century Bardolino is mentioned as a free commune, and later was under the Scaliger of

, who enlarged the fortifications to encompass the whole village. After their fall, it became part of the

Republic of Venice The Republic of Venice, officially the Most Serene Republic of Venice and traditionally known as La Serenissima, was a sovereign state and Maritime republics, maritime republic with its capital in Venice. Founded, according to tradition, in 697 ...

which had a marine base here. In 1526 it was sacked by the

Landsknecht The (singular: , ), also rendered as Landsknechts or Lansquenets, were German mercenaries used in pike and shot formations during the early modern period. Consisting predominantly of pikemen and supporting foot soldiers, their front line was ...

s. 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 The First Italian War of Independence (), part of the ''Risorgimento'' or unification of Italy, was fought by the Kingdom of Sardinia (1720–1861), Kingdom of Sardinia (Piedmont) and Italian volunteers against the Austrian Empire and other conse ...

. However, later the Austrians retaliated with ravages and shootings. It was annexed to the newly formed

Kingdom of Italy The Kingdom of Italy (, ) was a unitary state that existed from 17 March 1861, when Victor Emmanuel II of Kingdom of Sardinia, Sardinia was proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy, proclaimed King of Italy, until 10 June 1946, when the monarchy wa ...

in 1866.

Main sights

* Church of San Zeno (mid-9th century), one of few

Carolingian The Carolingian dynasty ( ; known variously as the Carlovingians, Carolingus, Carolings, Karolinger or Karlings) was a Frankish noble family named after Charles Martel and his grandson Charlemagne, descendants of the Arnulfing and Pippinid c ...

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 A crypt (from Greek κρύπτη (kryptē) ''wikt:crypta#Latin, crypta'' "Burial vault (tomb), vault") is a stone chamber beneath the floor of a church or other building. It typically contains coffins, Sarcophagus, sarcophagi, or Relic, religiou ...

. * 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 In Italy in the Middle Ages, a ''pieve'' (, ; ; : ''pievi'') was a rural church with a baptistery, upon which other churches without baptisteries depended. ''Pieve'' is also an Italian and Corsican term signifying the medieval ecclesiastical/a ...

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) * Villa Bottagisio (19th century). * Villa Guerrieri (19th century). * Villa Ferrari (19th century). * Casa Ottolenghi (1974–1978), designed by Carlo Scarpa. * Museo Sisàn, dedicated to fishing and bird hunting in the

area. * Zeni Wine Museum, founded in 1991 as part of the Zeni Cellar. It exposes objects above all of Veronese wine culture. Free entry for individual visitors, against reservation for groups.

References

External links

Official website

Bardolino Tourist Guide
Cities and towns in Veneto Populated places on Lake Garda {{Veneto-geo-stub