The fortress of Malcesine can be dated to the last centuries of the first millennium BC. Although there are some documents that state this castle was built sometime in the mid-first millennium AD. built by the Lombards.
The castle was destroyed by the Franks in 590 AD and then rebuilt. In 806 it was the residence of King Pepin, who came to Malcesine to visit Saints Benigno and Caro, and after the Hungarian invasion it was part of the episcopal feud of Verona.
From 1277 to 1387 it was under the control of Alberto della Scala's and his family.
During this period, the Scaligeri renovated the fortress, which was henceforth called "Scaliger Castle" and was occupied by the House of Visconti from 1387 to 1403.
Two years later it was placed under the rule of the Republic of Venice and remained under that control until 1506. When the castle was conquered by the Empire, the castle changed hands a couple of times: it belonged again to the Republic of Venice from 1516 to 1897, then to the French, followed by the Austrians who initiated significant fortification works inside the building and here from 1798 to 1866 remained. From that year it became Venetian property.
On August 22, 1902, the castle was declared a national monument.
Source:
visitmalcesine.com/en/scaliger-castle-malcesine-gardasee/230