The Scaligero castle guards the only land entrance to the old town, its towers rising straight out of the lake moat. You can climb to the top of the keep for a panorama over the rooftops to the water on all sides — on a clear day you can see well up the lake toward the Alps. Allow an hour to do it justice.
Rocca Scaligera
Scaligeri castle rising from Lake Garda with working drawbridge
A story
The castle was built by Cangrande I della Scala, lord of Verona, in the mid-13th century to control the strategic peninsula. The della Scala family — the Scaligeri — gave their name to this type of lakeside fortress, and the Sirmione castle is the best preserved of them all: its drawbridge still works.