Art & Culture
The centre of Torri's commercial activity is, and always has been, the
harbour. Here you will found the town's most important buildings:
- The
Castle, built at the end of the 14th century by
Antonio della Scala in order to protect his lands from the expansionistic aims of the Visconti's family of Milan. It now houses an interesting ethnographic museum, and includes Italy's first exhibition dedicated to fresh water fishing, as well as one of the last greenhouses for citrus fruit built on Lake Garda, dating from the mid 18th century.
- On the north side of the harbour there is the 15th century
Gardesana Palace, that is now an hotel with the same name. Here took place the Council of the
Gardesana dall'Acqua, a federation of ten Veronese lakeside communities to which the Venetian government granted a notable amount of independence. Incorporated into the palace there is the recently restored church of the
Holy Trinity, with frescoes of the 15th and 16th c. Veronese school.
- The harbour zone was occupied by Torri's merchants, whose ancient
dwellings are still there. One in particular stands out for the elegance of its facade interlaced with loggias. This was the
home of the Vacaris, functionaries representing the central power of the Venetian republic.
- On the principal street of the town, several buildings displaying their noble origins may be singled out. On the corner of via Cairoli there is
Casa Mari, once the home of the wealthy Marai family, whose coat of arms still graces the entrance. The nearby
Casa Viola is also of interest; it preserves almost unaltered - inside as well as outside - the character of a middle-class dwelling of the early 19th century. At the extreme north of the town centre stands a worthy rival to the castle - the grandiose
Parish Church built near the beginning of the 18th century. It contains magnificent baroque altars and altarpieces of high quality that attest to the prosperity of an imposing edifice which, together with the city walls, was built by the king of Italy Berengarius I, in the first years of the 10th century. The
Walls are still standing, although now hidden amongst the town's buildings. Near the Gardesana road rises the 14th century
Clock Tower, once known as "del Comun" because during the middle ages it housed the "Vicina", an assembly of the heads of families who met there to discuss community affairs.
Source:
www.torridelbenaco.co.uk
