トレニャーゴの洞窟・トップ6

Climbing route to Soave Castle that runs along the walls on the west side. Very steep climb.

Very recent, smart, short and steep path that allows you to reach the Soave castle on foot from Porta Aquila. It is outside the walls that in fact it runs along its entire route. Be careful because it is exposed to the north and can be very slippery in rain, high humidity or frost. However, there is a handrail along its entire length

nice gravel track between vineyards

The Preara fort was built during the second half of the nineteenth century and was part of the defensive system of Verona. It was nicknamed "Fort Werk John", in honor of the Austrian general Franz von John.

It would be nice to clean it of all those written, arrange it inside and finally make it open to visitors, but I understand that it would be an unsustainable expense and that it would attract little tourism. Such a pity.

Explanation of the history of Fort John

Built in the 10th century, it became the property of the powerful Montecchi family in the 13th century. The castle was rebuilt and strengthened by Ezzelino III da Romano in 1243. In 1269 the building was occupied by Pulcinella delle Carceri and some exiles from Verona, fighting against Mastino I della Scala, who used it as his own refuge. In 1279 it was donated to Niccolò della Scala, son of Mastino I, by the pope Pope Niccolò III, in gratitude to the Scaligeri for their capture, in Sirmione, of a group of Albigensian heretics (Cathars). At the beginning of the 15th century it was occupied by the Republic of Venice, after wresting it from the Carraresi, allied at that time with Guglielmo della Scala, illegitimate son of Cangrande II della Scala, elected by them as lord of Verona in 1404. For his military merits, the Venetians in 1509 granted Illasi as a fief to their valiant leader Count Girolamo Pompei, known as "Malanchino", whose family had boasted rights in those places for centuries. The leader deserved the credit for having captured and translated into Venetian prisons on 8 August of the same year, the Marquis of Mantua Francesco II Gonzaga, who had set out to conquer Legnago. [Wikipedia]

Fort John is a small polygonal fortification built in 1859 by the Austrians on the remains of a Bronze Age village halfway between the Montorio Castle and the Pilotòn, a Roman monolith located in the Marseghina ridge. Designed by the major, Franz von Neuhauser on direct commission from the Habsburg Empire, it was named after Baron Franz Von John, knight of the Order of Maria Theresa, for his actions in the battles of Goito and Volta Mantovana in 1848. The fort formed a system with the battery of the nearby Castle and established the final stronghold of the large entrenched camp. The artillery sector, in the open air, beat the hilly ridge towards the north, also crossing fire with the Maximilian Towers deployed on the opposing ridge of Monte Gaina. Two pieces, from the southern front, closed the gap towards the Castle. Finally, from the gorge front, two other artillery pieces pounded the mouth of the Valpantena. It remained in use by the Italian Army until the early 1980s, after which the structure was abandoned. [source: https://www.comunitadelgarda.it/Forte-John-Preara/1103-324-1.html]