Lake Garda Itineraries: Custoza

In the inland South of Lake Garda you will find Custoza, a place that today is famous for its white wine and for the beauty of its hills, but that also recall the tragic and bloody battles for the Independence of Italy that were fought here in the eighteenth century between the Austrian Imperial Army and the troops of the newly born Italian Kingdom.

Custoza Memorial - Paths of History

"Peace to the brave fallen in these battlefield"

Custoza Memorial was built after a project by the architect Giacomo Franco. It has an octagonal plan and from the four wider sides, four pronaos with columns, arches, vaults and corniches protrude. On top there is a balustrade running all around from which a breathtaking view of the soft hills of Custoza, where bloody battles where fought, can be admired.
In the basement, the crypt houses the bones of the fallen soldiers from both the Italian and Austrian armies. After the battles of the first and third war of Italian Independence, fought on these hills and neighboring areas in 1848-1866, peasants often found skeletons of soldiers fallen in battle and never identified and returned to their families. The human mercy and the respect due to dead, urged the people of Verona to build a memorial. The site they chose (Monte Belvedere) was the highest spot of Custoza. Don Gaetano Pivatelli, at that time parish priest in Custoza, was the tireless promoter of this enterprise. The memorial was erected also with the financial support of Austria and opened on June 24th 1879, with imposing ceremony by Prince Amedeo Duke of Aosta, representing King Umberto I.

A visit to Custoza and its Memorial can become an touching experience for those history lovers who want see the places and the memories of battles fought for the Independence and the unification of Italy. Ask a tourist guide to design for you a specific itinerary and to take you around Custoza and Lake Garda.

Custoza Wine

The morainic hills that surrounds the southern area of lake Garda around Custoza formed during the ice age which also created the lake. Nowadays they are covered by beautiful vineyards and cypresses. Here is produced the Custoza, a famous white wine made with Trebbiano and Garganega grape variety.
The Bianco di Custoza (White Custoza), is a dry yet smooth wine, with bitter almonds and winy aromas, fruity and flowery touches and a pleasant and persistent aftertaste. Custoza white wine is perfect with fish dishes or as an aperitif, widely drunk in many bars in Verona. It should be drink when still young and well chilled.

For details or further information on sightseeing tour, historical tours or wine tours in Custoza area and Lake Garda:

info@veronissima.com