OLD FORTIFICATIONS ON LAKE GARDA: PRESERVING THE VALUES OF MILITARY ARCHITECTURE IN A TOURIST AREA

The areas on the banks of Garda Lake are characterized by the presence of many castles and military defensive facilities watching the lake from the top of the mountains. Every shore of the Lake shows his belonging to different ancient supremacies. That is evident because the various lakefronts have unique, architectural and morphological details and this radically characterizes the local landscape although the Lake has the rule of a linking element for the territory. Coming through the analysis of the topic concerned on military facilities and studying the scope that fortifications have had from the moment in which they have been built till today, it is possible to understand which enhancement and protection strategies are employed now. Going backwards supremacy facts, old military engagements and battles among the conquerors on the Lake banks, on which there is a plenty of documents, it is feasible to define the new political orders that have defined the fortifications future. Therefore, if along the Verona coast the military facilities have been swamped with modern artillery making end to the Scaligero domination, on Brescian coast the fortifications loss their importance under the “pacific” Venetian control, becoming useless and people weren’t sensitive to maintain them. The city walls have been destroyed and also the houses inside their perimeter. The fortified towers were turned into churches bell towers, the constructions and free areas were converted to new recreational and useful purposes such as squares, city halls, community centers and also cemeteries. At the beginning of XXth century above Venetian coast, urban development and tourism were braked by city walls and politicians would destroyed the old walls with the aim to create free access to villages. The possibility to see the lake from the villages favored the foreign industry as the new source of income. The Ministry of National Education restored, in the same time, two very important castles: the Sirmione and Lazise Fortress. These two National monuments became political symbols. The local patriots recognized these old military architectures like icon to remember when Italy was politically free. There were many examples of rebuilding of medieval style and the castles became important tourist attractions. In Brescian area castles and fortifications had a positive fate. In the second half of the XXth century a new interest was born above military architectures. A desire to regenerate these types of buildings supported the decision to call this lakefront “Riviera dei Castelli”. The activities carried out by Public Administrations have been gone in the direction of requalification and programmed management of the asset. The specific constructional features, the designs, the similar materials, the degradation issues were been the reason to optimize the work. The solutions to resolve the problems were similar, so the local authorities maximized the financial, planning, human, social resources. This decision was soon recognized and appreciated by Cariplo Foundation and they decided to finance part of the conservation works. At the same time the Polpenazze del Garda city council activated a big conservative plan already started. This project was organized in tree parts. The first step regarded to convert the enclosed spaces into City Council. This operation was careful. The focus of the restoration plan was to recognize the signs of military history with the aim to remember the old political role (in this building the “vicinia” decided the government of the village). The second aspect concerns about urban renewal of the area inside the walls perimeter. At the end, the last activity is the regeneration and development of the urban park outside the walls.