Toscolano Maderno
Tra storia e presente, un luogo ricco di emozioni
Testimonies of a Roman villa are found in Toscolano, starting from 1300 in the final part of the Toscolano river valley, the first paper industries were built, also in Roman times Roman remains were found, they erected a temple dedicated to Apollo, we find also of the testimonies thanks to an epigraph recovered from the passage of the Etruscans. In 969 the village had numerous benefits thanks to Ottone I and in 1160 it received further concessions from Federico Barbarossa, later becoming the administration of the western Riviera, a position that it maintained until 1377, when they decided to move it to Salò. In 1928 Toscolano and Maderno were reunited to form a single municipality.
Best things to do and see in Toscolano Maderno
Basilica di S. Andrea
Basilica di S. Andrea
It dates back to the 12th century and is believed to have been built on the foundations of a pagan temple, adapted to the Christian cult after AD 415. following the Decrees of Honorius Emperor who established the elimination of pagan times. In 1282 were found the relics of St. Herculaneum, Bishop of Brescia in the sixth century, died in Campione where he had retired in solitude. According to legend, his remains were disputed by the whole Riviera, so it was decided to place him on a boat and entrusted to the waves of the lake: he landed right in the Gulf of and became the Patron as he became the Patron of the Riviera. S. Andrea is one of the most admirable examples of Romanesque-Lombard architecture with Veronese influences: the façade is cleverly made of polychrome stones and marbles that give it brightness and movement. The interior is divided into three naves by four-lobed pillars, with capitals representing a wide range of typically Romanesque iconographic decorative motifs. In the basilica there is a precious painting by the painter Paolo Veneziano depicting a Madonna with Child. The roof, with cross vaults in the domed naves on the presbytery, dates back to the late fifteenth century. Suggestive is the crypt in oratory, closed by order of Cardinal Borromeo in 1580 and brought to light in 1962, in which in ancient times the relics of Sant'Ercolano were preserved. In 1825 the relics of Sant'Ercolano were moved to the new parish church, but the sarcophagus remained in S. Andrea. The bell tower dates back to 1469.
Palazzo Bulgheroni
Palazzo Bulgheroni
This palace belonged to the Convent of the Serviti Fathers of San Pietro Martire and its park communicated directly with the convent. It was then purchased in the mid seventeenth century by the Gonzagas and in 1712 it passed to the Austrian ruling House. Sold to a real estate dealer, he then passed to Conte Rizzardi. It is a private palace but from its gates you can see the magnificent gardens, the lemon house and the decorations of a frescoed frame with mythological scenes and winged putti that originally also filled the medallions of the wooden coffered ceilings of the attic.
Palazzo Gonzaga
Palazzo Gonzaga
Once it was a large and sumptuous holiday palace of the noble Gonzaga family built in 1606 by the Duke Vincenzo with a vast park of about 70 hectares that practically included almost the whole promontory crossed by a long avenue that led to the lake. During the construction the Gonzagas stayed in the old building opposite that at the end of the works was joined to the construction by an air corridor that still remains today. Unfortunately today there is only a small part of it in Via Benamati, because, after the Gonzaga line had been extinguished, the Palazzo passed from hand to hand until it reached the dott. Ghiselli, seems mentally ill, who had two-thirds demolished, those closest to the Basilica of St. Andrew, in search of a hypothetical treasure. The Fondaco dei Gonzaga still exists and can be visited with a splendid spiral staircase that has now become an art gallery. It is curious to know that the palace was connected to the nearby Romanic Church by an underground corridor, which allowed the Gonzagas to participate in religious services not seen by the people assisting you from a window, still visible in the crypt even if closed. At the Palace also belonged the vast area of the Serraglio with its palace purchased in 1659 that was connected to Palazzo Gonzaga by an underground gallery that allowed the Dukes to reach the Seraglio without being seen and to hold their private parties. Now the tunnel is closed and the Serraglio belongs to the Municipality. In the middle of the seventeenth century the Gonzaga family bought also the Palazzo Bulgheroni and its park with gardens and lemon houses (now private, visible only from the outside, continuing in Via Benamati).
Useful information
Discover all the points of interest in the city.
Market day
Thursday
Festivities and events
Festa di Sant’Ercolano 11th August
Hospital
Ospedale di Salò Piazza Sergio Bresciani, 5
Pharmacies
FARMACIA GLORIA – ISOLI DR. GIUSEPPE Via Statale Maderno 19 FARMACIA – MINELLI DR. GIANCARLO Strada statale Toscolano Maderno, 93
Beaches
SPIAGGIA LIDO AZZURRO SPIAGGIA RIVA GRANDA , DOG FRIENDLY SPAGGIA LIDO DEGLI ULIVI
Port / Station
PORTO CENTRALE – Via del Porto
