The Rocca di Manerba: a plunge into nature and history. The magnificent view on a bright sunny day would alone justify the walk to the top of Rocca di Manerba. No matter that the area around the great iron cross has lost some of the wildness and rustic fascination that have marked it for decades, nay for centuries. This towering rocky landmark on the Garda landscape is in stark contrast with the gently rolling morainic hills and the coastline, and is steeped in fascination. Historic novels of the late romantic era refer to a legendary adventurer who, cruel yet generous, ruled the Valtenesi villages in feudal times from the top of the Rocca. There actually was a Rocca once, a castle or fortification, that was razed to the ground during domination by the Republic of Venice as over the years it had become an impregnable refuge for bands of brigands and bandits.
These facts were brought to light in the course of recent excavations and restoration work carried out by the town Manerba on lake Garda authorities. And there was also a temple, which the Romans had dedicated to Minerva, the Athena of the Greeks. This gave credence to the legend recounting the origins of Manerba, the village at the foot, and of Valtenesi, the hilly area stretching from Desenzano del Garda to Salò. What is definite, however, is the exceptional variety of vegetation and animals to be found in the area.
On the northern side, the slopes are covered in woods of broad-leaved trees, pubescent oak and black hornbeam, against a brightly coloured backdrop of butcher's broom, honeysuckle and hellebore; on the southernmost side, exposed to the hot Mediterranean sun, are dry meadows of steppe-grass dotted from May to September with wild orchids of all shapes and colours. Picking them is absolutely prohibited because flowers are happier where they are, captured only by a photographer's lens.
Along the crest leading to the chapel of San Giorgio and right down to the water, below the Sasso, which provided shelter for the ancient dwellers, flourish many Mediterranean trees such as holm oak, smoke-tree and terebinth. Another excellent reason for an excursion to the park of the Rocca of Manerba is the variety of itineraries for bird-watchers who, armed with binoculars, can enjoy close encounters with many different species, including hoopoes, kestrels, buzzards, barn owls, shrikes, kingfishers, little owls, scops owls, as well as lake seagulls, coots, grebes and swans. But the surprises do not stop here, because the Rocca is a world full of life where the Mediterranean features of this corner of Lake Garda are revealed in the vegetation and those brightly coloured, popular little insects that are butterflies. All around are the geometrical shapes of the vineyards, olive groves, meadows and woods carpeting the hillside up to the Romanesque church of San Giorgio and down to the pretty little harbour of Dusano. These are the crowning features of this spectacular nature reserve that is now promoted as an exclusive setting where nature lovers can find haven from today's frenetic life and discover new interests and passions. Here, views of rare beauty, archaeological sites dating back to medieval, Roman and prehistoric times, and an interesting variety of fl ora and fauna blend ideally to help you forget bustling city life and appreciate how enjoyable it is to immerse yourself in this wonderful world.
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