San Zeno di Montagna: Name Origins and Historical Debates

Once San Zeno di Montagna, a municipality in Verona on the western slopes of Monte Baldo, overlooking Lake Garda, was called Montagna di Monte Baldo.

Then came the name change, in honor of the patron saint of Verona. The most important monument in San Zeno is Cà Montagna, a small 14th-century building, featuring a notable array of frescoes, recently well restored by the municipal administration.

It was the residence of the Montagna, a powerful family friendly to the Scaligeri of Verona: they owned large estates on Monte Baldo.

The debate over the name

The debate in the area is heated: were the Montagna the ones who gave the name to the town, or did it happen the other way around?

Historians support the second theory: the locality was called Montagna since ancient times, and the family would have taken their name from that of the town.

Thus: the municipality of Montagna (today San Zeno di Montagna) gave the name to the family, which then named its Cà Montagna palace after itself.