Restored Peschiera Barracks Transformed into Cultural and Tourist Center
A barracks reconverted for tourist, cultural, and multimedia purposes. In Peschiera, the artillery barracks of Porta Verona, built by the Austrians between 1854 and 1857, has been restored with the utmost respect for original forms, designs, and materials.
Four thousand square meters of surface area, a masterpiece of military architecture and industrial archaeology, unique of its kind on Lake Garda. Project by architects Lino Vittorio Bozzetto and Oscar Cofani.
In recent days, the first part of the complex has been inaugurated, which will host conference and exhibition rooms, the Piccard reception hall, a museum, the library, cultural associations, a wine shop, bar-caffeteria, and a bookshop.
Interventions and Intended Use
An intervention carried out by the Municipality, in collaboration with the Bardolino, Custoza, Lugana, Garda DOC, Valdadige wine protection consortia, and Beta company. The property will be managed with primary goals of promoting and enhancing activities and products from Garda.
In the square in front, outdoor events and activities will be possible. The original structure, conceived by Marshal Radetzky and designed by Captain Gedeon Von Radò, includes two floors between Porta Verona and the San Marco bastion, both dating from the 16th century.
The facades are decorated with Doric pilasters and rusticated arches, in yellow stone, tuff, and Verona red. Restored following Austrian designs, it features a terracotta tiled floor, columns and pillars in red marble, cross vaults with visible brick parament and raised joints, stone brackets on the walls.
A splendid transformed structure into multimedia use, with rooms for exhibitions and conferences. After removing debris and all kinds of overlaps, the entrance has become a magnificent gateway. Where guards once kept watch, there will now be spaces for tourist information, the library, and the bookshop.
Exhibition Spaces and Archaeological Museum
The small adjoining guardhouse of the spingarda (a small cannon) becomes a room for historical documentation. The attic of the barracks will host the National Archaeological Museum of Lake Garda Pile Dwellings.
It is hoped that many dispersed artifacts, scattered around internationally (Vienna, Zurich), will find suitable placement. The rooms are located just above the San Marco bastion, facing the Venetian loggias where the Mincio river exits the lake to head towards Mantua.
On the first floor, south wing, there are eleven rooms. Five will be used as a civic library, and the last for conferences. The north wing will host various cultural associations, and the administration of the library and museum.
The flooring of the first floor is made of original stone. The remarkable floors of the cannon rooms are in Dalmatian asphalt, black and shiny, crossed by stone walkways. The ground floor includes the wine shop with bar and cafeteria, three rooms for wine displays, and an analysis laboratory.
At the entrance, a room for the city band and areas for the exhibition and sale of typical products. The Peschiera barracks is thus being transformed into a valuable public space, demonstrating the potential for integration between tourism and environmental assets, economic well-being, and the preservation of historical features.
The profile of the fortified and militarized complex softens into the vision of a citadel adorned with art, performances, and gatherings.
