Thanks to the discovery of pile-dwellings it can be confirmed that Lazise was already inhabited in prehistoric times and it was certainly an important centre during the Roman era as can be seen by the numerous coins that have been found in the Saline area. In the 10th century with the arrival of the Longobards and of Otto II it had many privileges, such as fishing rights and the chance to fortify the walls of the castle. In the 12th century Lazise became a free commune, until it fell under the control of the Scaligeri and then passed into the hands of the Visconti. In 1405, like other towns on Lake Garda, Lazise came under the Venetian Republic. In the early 1700s, during the Austrian war for succession, it was plundered by German and French troops. It became part of the Cisalpine Republic with the arrival of Napoleon and then later was made part of the Kingdom of Italy. In 1815 it fell, along with most of the territories of Lake Garda, under the rule of the Austrian troops and it was only after the third war of independence, in 1866, that it became part of the territory of the Kingdom of Italy.
From the original church of San Zeno, which became a parish church of San Martino in the sixteenth century, it is known from 1295. It was of good capacity but rather disproportionate in its forms and dimensions, occupying the same position as the present church of the SS. Zeno and Martino, which was built after the first demolition of the 18th century. The works included a neoclassical church designed by Luigi Trezza, works stopped however by the arrival of the Napoleonic troops and taken up only in 1821 with the construction of the presbytery, the apse and the bell tower, on which five bells were placed in 1840, when the works ended definitively. The church was consecrated on 2 September 1888 by Cardinal Luigi di Canossa.
The church of San Nicolò is located near the old port of Lazise. In Romanesque style, it is thought to date back to the twelfth century, although it appears in a document for the first time only in 1320. On the main door there is the original hanging porch, while the apse was rebuilt in 1595 and the original bell tower, which on end of the eighteenth century was unsafe, was knocked down and a new one was built in its place. In 1879 the church was closed by order of cardinal Luigi di Canossa who was visiting the town as it was in a state of neglect, so, in the following years, it was used for theatrical performances, while today it is reopened to worship.
Construction of great importance for the port of goods in the country was the Venetian customs, along with the front harbor, which is already marked in the papers of the tenth century. At the ends of the port, which initially was smaller than the current one, there were two towers, with an entrance near the largest tower. From these two towers (today no longer present) the walls that protected the port and went to connect to the Scaliger castle. The port was enlarged in the sixteenth century, but an arsenal or dock was known as early as 1329, then built by the Scaligeri: it was used by the Veronese before and by the Venetians later, for the custody of part of the fleet. On October 19, 1607, however, Venice was asked to dismantle the arsenal and turn it into a customs house for goods.
Discover all the points of interest in the city.
Wednesday
San Martino 11th November
Ospedale di Bussolengo Via Ospedale, 4/6, 37012 Bussolengo VR
BENATI Via A. Della Scala, 56 FACCI DR. MASSIMINO Via Peschiera, 4
PORTO VECCHIO – Piazza A. Partenio