In the Castle Museum of Malcesine, an exhibition room is dedicated to this spectacular crossing and the subsequent naval battle. In 1439, on the mountain road, a complete Venetian war fleet was hoisted from Mori to Lake Garda, with about 2000 draught oxen and lots of black powder, to join the battle against the Milanese fleet. At that time, the dispute between Venice and Milan over the shared supremacy of Lake Garda escalated: the Milanese launched their ships, which had once been in Riva, and also controlled the Mincio, and everything suggested that Venice would soon lose the entire Lake Garda to Milan. Then a Venetian officer, Nicoló Sorbolo, came up with the incredible idea of transporting six 50-metre-long galleys, two galleons and 26 war barques over a mountain pass to Lake Garda in order to intervene in the fighting.
Via Castello
37018 Malcesine
phone: +39 0456570333
April to October daily 9.30 am - 7.00 pm, call for opening hours during winter