Garda

Garda is a lakeside town in the province of Verona that gives its name to Lake Garda itself — the lake was historically known as Benaco until the name of the town's medieval hilltop fortress, the Rocca, came to be applied to the whole lake. Early fortifications on the Rocca's hill date back to the early Middle Ages; the fortress was later destroyed once the town came under Venetian control, when Garda served as an administrative headquarters for the lake. Traces of Venetian influence remain in the old town, including the Gothic Palazzo dei Capitani on the lakefront, whose square was once the town's harbour before being filled in.