Palazzo dei Capitani

The Palazzo dei Capitani stands beside Malcesine’s harbour on Via Capitanato. Built by the Scaligeri across the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries over Roman remains, it was rebuilt in Venetian Gothic style and became the residence of the Capitano del Lago in 1618. It now houses Malcesine’s town hall and municipal library.

Why it matters

The palace represents civic government on the lakefront, complementing the military role of the nearby castle. The Capitano del Lago administered the Veronese shore for the Republic of Venice. In 1902 the building was declared a national monument.

What to notice

The ground-floor salon’s ceiling fresco includes emblems of the Gardesana dell’Acqua, the lake district governed from the palace, along with the lion of Saint Mark and the arms of Verona and of lake captain Lodovico Giusti. The architrave bears the motto “Stat sine morte decus”; a painted Latin inscription records Verona’s purchase of the building around 1618. The first-floor salon has a coffered ceiling with leaves, flowers and the arms of the Miniscalchi and Lodron families, alongside a frieze of masks, putti, sea horses and birds. The garden terracing toward the water was once the captain’s boat landing.

Context and history

The palace’s medieval origins are associated with the Scaligeri. It passed through Veronese hands to the Miniscalchi family; Alessandro Miniscalchi bought it in 1473, and a 1477 record describes it rebuilt in Venetian style and richly decorated. In 1618 the city of Verona purchased the palace, at the Republic’s invitation, to house the Capitano del Lago. Malcesine became its sole owner in 1897. Restorations included work on the top floor and roof in 1985 and a further campaign beginning in 2007 under architect Libero Cecchini.