Lazise, Italy: Walls, Gates and a Working Harbour

Lacisium and the Deed of 983

The name comes from the Latin Lacisium, built on lacus, meaning lake village, and Bronze Age lake-dwelling finds have been made here. The date that matters is 983, when an imperial deed signed by Otto II gave the village complete civic autonomy. On that paper hangs the town's claim to be the First Free Commune of Italy, a claim the national tourism portal repeats.

The municipality today also includes the hamlets of Colà and Pacengo. Colà has its own thermal spring, and Pacengo sits by the theme-park strip. Practically, this history costs you nothing.

The claim is the town's identity, and the walls that back it up are the walk you came for.

Scaligeri, Visconti and Venice

The walls go back to the early Middle Ages, and the castle to the Scaliger era of the Della Scala lords of Verona. Power changed hands after them. Porta San Zeno, the main east entrance, was lowered by the Visconti and the Gonzaga as a sign of victory over Venice, a deliberate humiliation carved in stone.

Venice ruled the town in its turn, and its customs house still stands on the harbour. Some alleys are still called calle in the Venetian way, and they were once water lanes with boats. The fourth, lakeside stretch of wall is gone, which is why the old town opens straight onto the water.

Walk the three surviving gates and you have read the town's political history in stone.

Porta San Zeno

Porta San Zeno was once called Porta Superiore and was the main entrance to the village, on the east side. The Visconti and the Gonzaga had it lowered as a symbolic act of victory over the Venetians, to humiliate them, so look closely and you can see that it sits lower than the walls on either side. It stands in the early medieval wall line and is free to walk through at any hour.

It makes the natural starting point for a circuit of the walls, and it is the gate most visitors arriving by bus on the Gardesana reach first.

The Lion Gate and Porta Cansignorio

The Lion Gate, once called Porta San Marco, is the southern gate, named for the lion of the Venetian Republic's coat of arms, and flowers line the gate on Via Rosenheim. From it you get the best view of the Scaliger castle, so keep the camera ready there. Porta Cansignorio, once Porta Nuova, is the northern gate and completes the trio.

All three gates survive in the walls, and the fourth, lakeside wall is gone, so the circuit runs open along the water. There is no ticket and no gate hours. Porta Cansignorio still bears the marks of the war between Venice and the Visconti.

The Scaliger Castle

The castle was built under the Della Scala, the Scaliger lords of Verona. It is private, and it cannot be visited. No ticket exists, no hours are posted and there is nothing to book, so do not plan a day around an interior.

The practical answer is to see it from outside. The walk along the walls and the view from the Lion Gate give you the towers and the battlements. If you want a castle you can enter, the Scaligero Castle at Sirmione opens to visitors, and a day trip pairs the two towns well.

The Dogana Veneta and the Old Port

The Antica Dogana Veneta is the old Venetian customs house on the Porto Vecchio, the little port where the town's trade was once taxed. It marks the centuries when Venice controlled trade on the lake, and you see it best from the quay. The tourist office sits right here at Via Porto Vecchio 5, phone +39 045 2051646, email [email protected].

Summer hours run 1 June to 30 September, Monday to Wednesday 9:00-14:00 and 15:00-18:00, Thursday to Sunday 9:00-18:00. Outside those dates no fixed hours are posted, so ask your hotel or check online before relying on it. The port itself is free, always open, and best early in the morning.

San Nicolò and Saints Zeno and Martin

Two churches anchor the town. The church of San Nicolò, St Nicholas, is 12th-century Romanesque and stands right by the old port, so you pass it on any harbour walk. It is the church in the classic harbour view.

The parish church of Saints Zeno and Martin is 18th-century neoclassical and carries five bells. Opening hours are not posted in one place, so check mass times at the door. Between the two, the walk along the quay takes in the customs house, the castle walls and the moored boats.

A Vineyard Tasting

The hills above the town grow the grapes behind Bardolino and Chiaretto wines, and the six-wine vineyard tasting at a family estate in Lazise costs $47 for two hours, in a group of up to 16. You sit down to white Garganega, Chiaretto, sparkling and reds, paired with Verona salami, cheeses, fresh bread and Garda olive oil on toasted bread. Wine is served only to guests over 18.

If you want more, the Bardolino vineyard tour next door costs $40 and adds a walk among the vines. Our Bardolino wine guide explains what you are drinking, and what to eat at Lake Garda covers the food side.

Thermal Water at Colà

The hamlet of Colà, inland from the old town, has a thermal spring run as Terme di Colà, also known as Villa dei Cedri. It is the quiet counterpoint to the theme parks. No prices are posted here, so check current rates with the spa before you go, and expect seasonal hours.

Pack a swimsuit if a rain day is forecast, since it is one of the few indoor options in the municipality.

Movieland, Gardaland and Caneva

The theme-park strip starts at Lazise's back door. Gardaland lies partly on Lazise territory, and Canevaworld sits in the municipality too. Movieland, the movie-themed park, is at Pacengo in the same strip, which we cover in our Movieland guide.

Gardaland keeps seasonal and event openings, so check the calendar on our Gardaland page before you go. Inside Movieland, the Hollywood VIP package costs $148.24 and is a guided VIP movie challenge with admission included, not plain park entry, and it has no reviews yet. Planning parks with children is easier with our Lake Garda with kids page.

By train, ride the Milan-Venice line to Peschiera del Garda and continue by ATV bus. Line 164 runs Garda, Bardolino, Lazise, Gardaland, Peschiera and on to Verona, and buses leave from Verona Porta Nuova as well. By car, leave the A4 at Peschiera del Garda and follow the Gardesana Orientale, or leave the A22 at Affi.

The historic centre is a limited traffic zone, so park outside it, and a campervan area sits in Viale Roma. By boat in summer, run 14 calls Peschiera 8:00, Lazise 8:28, Bardolino 8:45 and Garda 9:00, so Bardolino is 17 minutes from the Lazise quay. Sirmione to Lazise is fare zone 4, $12.85 (€11.50) one way.

No passenger boats run from 2 November to 12 March, only the Maderno-Torri car ferry. A cycle and pedestrian path follows the shore toward Bardolino and Garda. For the shape of the whole network, see getting around Lake Garda, the ferry guide, and our page on Verona from Lake Garda, or take the Verona full-day tour at $73 with a Lazise pickup.

From Verona airport, an Aerobus runs to Verona Porta Nuova every 20 minutes, and from roughly June to September a public bus to Garda stops at the airport itself. ATV line 164 also links Verona airport with the east shore through Peschiera and Lazise. The airport sits about 15 km from the lake.

Drivers should also read our Lake Garda car rental notes, and flyers can compare airports for Lake Garda.

Two folklore events use the old port as their stage. Lazise hosts a stop of the Regata delle Bisse in July and August, where Venetian rowing boats are worked by four rowers standing up. At the end of August comes the Cuccagna del Cadenon during the Festa dell'Ospite, when an 8-metre pole coated with grease is laid flat over the old port, and the winner is whoever slides along it and takes the flag at the end.

Both draw a crowd onto the quay, so arrive early or watch from the walls. Exact dates are not fixed here, so ask at the tourist office on Via Porto Vecchio 5 or check the town's site before you plan an evening around either one.

Lazise works as a base for travellers who want one town to cover history, wine and theme parks without changing beds. It has no station, so it suits drivers and bus riders more than rail arrivals, who are better placed in Desenzano or Peschiera. Compare it with the other towns in our Lake Garda towns guide or our where to stay planner.

Its centre is small enough for a half day, so it slots into any of our 2-day Lake Garda itinerary plans, and guided options across the lake are gathered in Lake Garda tours. To place it in the whole trip, start from what to see in Lake Garda.