Lazise 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) and town in the Province of Verona in the

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

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 ...

. It is situated 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 ...

. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 6,213 and an area of .All demographics and other statistics: Italian statistical institute Istat. This geographical location empowers a position of great landscape value, but it also features elements of architectural value and of historical importance. Lazise has many attractions: a thermal spring situated in Colà, two amusement parks (Canevaworld and Gardaland, the latter situated partly on the territory of Castelnuovo del Garda, where it is based, and partly on the territory of Lazise) and an extensive hilly agricultural landscape. Lazise records about 3.5 million tourist visits every year, figures that place it at 12th place in Italy among tourist destinations, and the first Italian lake destination. The municipality of Lazise contains the ''

frazioni A ''frazione'' (: ''frazioni'') is a type of subdivision of a ''comune'' ('municipality') in Italy, often a small village or hamlet outside the main town. Most ''frazioni'' were created during the Fascist era (1922–1943) as a way to consolidat ...

'' (subdivisions, mainly villages and hamlets) of Colà and Pacengo. Lazise borders the following municipalities: Bardolino, Bussolengo, Castelnuovo del Garda, Padenghe sul Garda, Pastrengo, Peschiera del Garda and Sirmione.

Origins of the name

The name Lazise comes from the Latin word ''lacus'' that means ‘lakeside village’, as some documents of Early Middle Ages seem to confirm, referring to the settlement as ''Laceses.'' Another hypothesis, later ruled out, put the name of the town as originating from Antonio Bevilacqua di Loncis. Loncis, from his castle in

Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...

, became governor of Lake Garda and the forefather of a major family that then changed its name to Bevilacqua-Lazise. The last hypothesis was lately ruled out and it comes from

Lazica The Kingdom of Lazica (; ; ), sometimes called Lazian Empire, was a state in the territory of west Georgia in the Roman era, Georgia in the Roman period, from about the 1st century BC. Created as a result of the collapse of the kingdom of Colc ...

Kingdom.

History

Its name derives from the Latin "lacus" which means lacustrine village. Lazise in fact was originally a group of stilt houses beyond that Roman village and market. Between 888 and 961, during the reign of

Berengar II of Italy Berengar II ( 900 – 4 August 966) was the king of Italy from 950 until his deposition in 961. He was a scion of the Anscarid and Unruoching dynasties, and was named after his maternal grandfather, Berengar I. He succeeded his father as ma ...

and his son, the town was subject only to the monarch, that is, it was a "free villa" not subject to any feudatory. In 961, Italy was invaded by German troops, who descended the valley of the

Adige The Adige is the second-longest river in Italy, after the Po. It rises near the Reschen Pass in the Vinschgau in the province of South Tyrol, near the Italian border with Austria and Switzerland, and flows through most of northeastern Italy ...

to camp on the shores of Garda. In 983, the Holy Roman Emperor

Otto I Otto I (23 November 912 – 7 May 973), known as Otto the Great ( ) or Otto of Saxony ( ), was East Francia, East Frankish (Kingdom of Germany, German) king from 936 and Holy Roman Emperor from 962 until his death in 973. He was the eldest son o ...

granted Lazise the right to fortify itself and establish trading rights. It is considered as the first and oldest comune in Italy, and perhaps all of Europe. The medieval Church of ''Saint Nicolò'' has frescoes dating from the 12th century, by the school of

Giotto Giotto di Bondone (; – January 8, 1337), known mononymously as Giotto, was an List of Italian painters, Italian painter and architect from Florence during the Late Middle Ages. He worked during the International Gothic, Gothic and Italian Ren ...

. The customs house from the 16th century was constructed to control trade on the lake. During the 13th and 14th centuries, Lazise was occupied by the Scaligeri of Verona who built the castle and encircled the town with walls. In 1405, it came under

Venetian Republic 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 ...

rule until Napoleon conquered northern Italy in 1796. After the

Congress of Vienna The Congress of Vienna of 1814–1815 was a series of international diplomatic meetings to discuss and agree upon a possible new layout of the European political and constitutional order after the downfall of the French Emperor Napoleon, Napol ...

(1815) when it entered a period of Austrian rule, until in 1866, it was incorporated into the Kingdom of Italy. The 14th-century La Pergolana villa, a kilometre north of Lazise, hosts a honey festival during the first weekend of October.

Tourism

The city is a holiday destination, and attracts tourists from the immediate area owing to its views of the Alps from the southern shore of Lake Garda. At the center of the city is a series of interconnected piazze that house numerous open-air cafés, various shops, gelaterie (ice-cream parlours), and bars.

Scaliger Castle

The most imposing building of Lazise is the Scaliger Castle and the city wall that surrounds the historic centre. The castle was built during the domination of the lords of Verona Bartolomeo II and Antonio della Scala, or maybe just before the father Cansignorio della Scala (considering that ''Porta Nuova'' bears the date 21 May 1376). The city has always had three gates equipped with drawbridges: ''Porta Superiore'', today known as ''Porta San Zeno'', for the access on east side; ''Porta Lion'' (so called because it determined the coat of arms of the '' Serenissima''), for the access on south side; ''Porta Nuova'' (so named because it was the last to be built), today widely called ''Porta Cansignorio'', for access on north side. The castle suffered damages during the siege of the Venetians in July 1438, and then again in May 1528 due to the work of the army of Charles V. In the 16th century, with the progress of new technologies and war tactics, the castle lost importance and was purchased firstly by the community of Lazise and later by private families.

Coat of arms

Originally, the coat of arms of Lazise municipality was a checkered shield with light-blue and silver diamond, in line with the ancient Bavarian Kingdom coat of arms. Afterwards, the coat of arms was divided: the left side is formed by a silver and light-blue checkered flag; on the right side a red dragon in a golden field is portrayed.

Traditions and folklore

Traditional events are the ''Regata delle Bisse'', using traditional Venetian rowing boats (with four standing rowers and no

helmsman A helmsman or helm (sometimes driver or steersman) is a person who steering, steers a ship, sailboat, submarine, other type of maritime vessel, airship, or spacecraft. The rank and seniority of the helmsman may vary: on small vessels such as fis ...

), whose stop in Lazise takes place between July and August, and the ''Cuccagna del Cadenon'', which takes place at the end of August in conjunction with the ''Festa dell’Ospite'', in which an eight-metre pole is placed horizontally on the waters of the old port, abundantly coated with fat, and is won by the one who, slipping on the greasy pole, manages to take the flag to the bottom.

Events

Celebrations that regularly take place in the village are numerous, in particular fairs and festivals: the ''Festa dell'Ospite'', that is held at the end of July in Pacengo (a neighbouring town) and at the end of August in Lazise, when there are various stands that sell typical local products, concerts and a final show with fireworks; the ''Antica sagra della Madonna della Neve'' that takes place in the municipality of Colà at the beginning of August, during which the traditional plate of ''anara col pien'' (stuffed and roast duck) is served; ''la Sagra del Marciapié,'' an old feast that is celebrated on the last day of Carnival and the first of Lent in Via Arco, during which citizens are invited to choose the representatives of the street named ''Via'' ''Capo Valàr'', in addition to the carnival masks; lastly the national fair ''I giorni del miele'', a trade fair completely dedicated to honey and its derivatives held at the beginning of October.

Gallery

File:2017-04-10 04-14 Gardasee 254 Lazise (33572486583).jpg, Old port File:Lazise 1 (14552461842).jpg, Lake front File:37017 Lazise, Province of Verona, Italy - panoramio (7).jpg File:Lazise-Piazza Vittorio Emanuele.jpg, Piazza Vittorio Emanuele File:37017 Lazise, Province of Verona, Italy - panoramio (4).jpg, Chiesa parrocchiale dei Santi Zenone e Martino File:Lazise 071014 - Castello di Lazise 07.JPG, Gate of Lion of Saint Mark File:Lazise, Province of Verona, Italy - panoramio (5).jpg, Medieval gate File:37017 Lazise, Province of Verona, Italy - panoramio (19).jpg File:Lazise - Cinta muraria.jpg

Population

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