Palazzo dei Capitani

The Palazzo dei Capitani stands on Piazza Catullo beside Garda’s former harbour. Built around 1300 in Venetian Gothic style, it later served as the seat of Venice’s Captain of the Lake, who represented Venetian authority over the lake’s security and commerce.

Why it matters

The palace reflects Garda’s role as a passage between the Po plain and the Alps. From here, the Captain of the Lake oversaw navigation, commerce and northbound traffic toward Trentino. Its arcades frame the square that replaced the old fishing port as the harbour silted up from 1896.

What to notice

The building’s Gothic-Venetian masonry and arcades face Piazza Catullo. The porticoes once sheltered fishermen repairing their nets, and the ground floor opened toward the boat landing. The palace has no monumental entrance; its working relationship with the waterfront remains visible in its simple connection to the square.

Context and history

The palace dates to around 1300 and may have been built in two phases. The Carlotti family lived there by the fifteenth century; under Venetian rule it became the residence of the Capitano del lago. During the Napoleonic period it served as the seat of the Garda Vicariate. The old fishing port began to silt up in 1896, and its former bed became Piazza Catullo. Construction of a new harbour began in 1920, with the port completed in 1928.