Valeggio sul Mincio

Sister cities

• St. Johann in Tirol
• Ichenhausen

History

Archaeological excavations in the Mincio valley include a Bronze Age settlement, some tombs dating to the Iron Age and some findings associated with the Etruscan civilization. During the work of river channelling in 1955–56 at Isolone della Prevaldesca (an area near Valeggio) a pile-dwelling settlement came to light which led to the collection of 16,000 finds; some tombs and other finds dating to the Iron Age were found in Borghetto (in 1933 a metallic urn dating to the First Iron Age was found) and some finds associated with the Etruscan civilization (ornaments and jewellery were found in the Mincio Valley). A large Celtic necropolis, found in 1984 still partly buried under the current town, would prove the presence of that people from the 4th century BCE and the 1st century CE. In the necropolis were also discovered finds and marble funeral monuments from Roman times, as well as traces of traffic connections linking the ford on the river to consular roads. The creation of the villages of Valeggio and Borghetto dates to the Lombard rule in Northern Italy because their names derive from 'flat place' and 'fortified settlement' respectively. The monastery of Santa Maria was founded here, on the banks of the Mincio, in the 12th century; later it was a priory of the Knights Templar. The large medieval fortifications which characterize Valeggio (Scaliger castle, the Visconti Bridge and the Serraglio defensive line) were built between the 13th and the 14th centuries. In 1405 Valeggio became part of the Republic of Venice, and subsequently lost its strategic role, becoming an agricultural center and a silkworms trading market. After the fall of the Republic of Venice in 1797, Valeggio was included in the Cisalpine Republic. Later it was part of the Italian Republic…

Most-observed species

• Mallard

  Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  1,201
• Great Crested Grebe

  Podiceps cristatus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  993
• Black-headed Gull

  Chroicocephalus ridibundus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  931
• Eurasian Blackbird

  Turdus merula Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  870
• Great Cormorant/European Shag

  Phalacrocorax carbo (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  865
• Eurasian Coot

  Fulica atra Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  863
• Hooded Crow

  Corvus cornix Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  844
• Common Wood-Pigeon

  Columba palumbus Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  745

Most recent

• M 3.2 — 2026-01-09
  4 km N of Gargnano, Italy
• M 2.7 — 2025-05-20
  2 km NE of Besenello, Italy
• M 3 — 2024-05-22
  1 km N of Collecchio, Italy
• M 4.1 — 2024-02-17
  3 km SE of Basilicanova, Italy
• M 4.2 — 2024-02-09
  1 km ENE of Pilastro, Italy
• M 4.1 — 2023-10-28
  2 km SSW of Bagnolo di Po, Italy