Things to see in Arco

Arco is a city of 18,000 people (2015) at the northern shore of Lake Garda in Italy. It has been a popular resort for centuries, and is one of the most popular climbing spots in Europe.

Arco is in the Alto Garda and Ledro area between the hills behind Riva del Garda, not far from the lake in the final part of the Sarca river valley which flows from here into Lake Garda. It is protected by the mountains and the proximity of Lake Garda, providing this area a particularly mild climate. North of Arco is the Patone cave, a horizontal cave that can be easily visited.

Arco overlooks Lake Garda to the south, while to the north it is surrounded by mountains.

Arco Castle. The city develops on the slopes of a rocky cliff from which the magnificent medieval castle dominates the entire Upper Garda valley. The castle was built as a fortified village defended by mighty walls and a good sighting system thanks to the towers on the various sides of the nucleus. The whole complex consisted of the two Renghera towers in the highest part of the cliff, and Grande as well as several buildings such as the prison rondello, the blacksmith's workshop, the cellar, the mill and three cisterns. According to some sources, its construction originated in the Middle Ages, built by the inhabitants of Arco and only later became the property of the noble Arcense family that dominated these lands. The castle was abandoned during the 18th century also following the siege by French troops in the summer of 1703 commanded by the French general Luigi Giuseppe di Borbone-Vendôme. An accurate restoration in 1986 and others in the following years, commissioned and carried out by the autonomous province of Trento and the Municipality of Arco, allowed the discovery and recovery of some cycles of frescoes depicting knights and court ladies of the medieval era.