Garda Castles Day: Conferences, Tours, and Renaissance Music in Lonato
A conference on castles and ancient walls of the Garda area, free guided tours of the fortress, a performance by the Pomponazzo Association choir, which is based in Mantova but operates extensively in schools around the lower lake, and in the afternoon, the third edition of the festival organized by the Federation of Gardaena Cultural and Environmental Associations. All of this is scheduled for Sunday, September 30th in Lonato, thanks to the organizational efforts of the Amici della Fondazione da Como association, the same Foundation, the Italian Institute of Castles, the Municipality of Lonato, and of course, the federation.
National Castles Days
The occasion is the National Castles Days, happening tomorrow and Sunday throughout Italy, during which castles and fortresses will be open to the public. For the Brescia province, this year’s choice is Lonato, which boasts an imposing, ancient castle. The conference will be held in the morning at 9:30 a.m. right at Rocca, in the «Piera Carpani Glisenti» hall, featuring several contributions following the introductory remarks by lawyer Angelo Rampinelli (president of the Ugo da Como Foundation) and professor Graziella Colmuto Zanella (president of the Lombardy section of the Italian Institute of Castles).
Speeches and contributions
The presentations will include contributions from architects Giusy Villari, Gianmaria Labaa, Luca Rinaldi, Franco Maffeis, Gianpaolo Treccani regarding interventions on fortified structures and their restoration. Professor Gianpietro Brogiolo and architect Aldo Maifreni will focus specifically on the Rocca di Manerba park, while engineer Mauro Galvani and architect Angiola Leva will speak about the Castello di Moniga.
Summary and purpose of the conference
In short, a gathering that will surely serve to assess the current state of the numerous defensive buildings scattered across the Garda interior. The conference will conclude at 1:00 p.m. In the afternoon, guided visits will be organized (remember that all day access to the Rocca di Lonato will be free) at 3:00 p.m., 3:30 p.m., 4:00 p.m., and the last at 4:30 p.m.
Tourist-cultural routes and Renaissance music
Also within this framework, various projects of tourist-cultural itineraries will be presented, developed by a group of students during a dedicated course promoted by the Federazione delle associazioni, and fully funded by the Regional Department of Culture, Identity, and Autonomies. These itineraries traverse the diverse territory of Lower Garda, from Valtenesi and Upper Mantovano, highlighting natural riches, monuments, and historically significant buildings. The projects will be presented and detailed by the individual students involved.
In the afternoon, at 4:30 p.m., a Renaissance music concert by the Pietro Pomponazzo Association choir is also scheduled. A whole Sunday dedicated to castles and their atmospheres.
Archaeological lecture
The day will begin tonight at 8:30 p.m. in the conference hall of the Rocca di Lonato, with a lecture by architect Gian Pietro Brogiolo on the topic «Archaeological research on Garda castles».
