Arco is a ''

comune The (; plural: ) is a local administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions ('' regioni'') and provinces (''province''). The can also ...

'' in Trentino-Alto Adige in

northern Italy Northern Italy ( it, Italia settentrionale, it, Nord Italia, label=none, it, Alta Italia, label=none or just it, Nord, label=none) is a geographical and cultural region in the northern part of Italy. It consists of eight administrative regions ...

. The town is faced on one side by sheer limestone cliffs jutting up like a wall protecting it and its ancient

hilltop castle A hilltop castle is a type of hill castle that was built on the summit of a hill or mountain. In the latter case it may be termed a mountaintop castle. The term is derived from the German, ''Gipfelburg'', which is one of a number of terms used ...

. King Francis II of the

Two Sicilies The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies ( it, Regno delle Due Sicilie) was a kingdom in Southern Italy from 1816 to 1860. The kingdom was the largest sovereign state by population and size in Italy before Italian unification, comprising Sicily and a ...

died here in 1894.

Main sights

*The Castello di Arco, medieval castle *Sanctuary and convent of ''Santa Maria delle Grazie'', built in 1475–1492. It houses a wooden statue of the Virgin Mary dating to the 15th century *''Collegiata dell'Assunta'', begun in 1613. Francis II, the last King of Two Sicilies, was provisionally buried here in the late 19th century, after his death at Arco in 1894. *Church of ''Sant'Apollinare'', with 14th-century frescoes *''Palazzo Marchettii'' (16th century). It has a portal attributed to

Giulio Romano Giulio Romano (, ; – 1 November 1546), is the acquired name of Giulio Pippi, who was an Italian painter and architect. He was a pupil of Raphael, and his stylistic deviations from High Renaissance classicism help define the sixteenth-centu ...

. *''Palazzo dei Panni'' (late 17th century) *''Stations of the Cross'' to the chapel "Santuario della Madonna di Laghel" 1896 by

Josef Moroder-Lusenberg Josef Theodor Moroder, also known as the Lusenberger, (28 May 1846 in Urtijëi – 16 February 1939 in Urtijëi) was a painter and sculptor, the most prominent artist of the Moroder family from the Grödenthal in South Tyrol (now the Val Garden ...

Economy

Tourism is a major part of the local economy, with many Germans and Austrians coming over the

Brenner Pass The Brenner Pass (german: link=no, Brennerpass , shortly ; it, Passo del Brennero ) is a mountain pass through the Alps which forms the border between Italy and Austria. It is one of the principal passes of the Eastern Alpine range and has ...

from Austria. Popular tourist activities include

windsurfing Windsurfing is a wind propelled water sport that is a combination of sailing and surfing. It is also referred to as "sailboarding" and "boardsailing", and emerged in the late 1960s from the aerospace and surf culture of California. Windsurfing ga ...

on nearby

Lake Garda Lake Garda ( it, Lago di Garda or ; lmo, label=Eastern Lombard, Lach de Garda; vec, Ƚago de Garda; la, Benacus; grc, Βήνακος) is the largest lake in Italy. It is a popular holiday location in northern Italy, about halfway between ...

, and rock climbing on the walls near the city. The annual

Rock Master Rock Master is an international climbing competition held every year in Arco, Italy. The event takes place in two rounds: the first is an on-sight session and the second is called "after work". The final classification is given by the sum of th ...

event, an international climbing competition, is held on the town's outdoor artificial wall.

Mountain biking Mountain biking is a sport of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, usually using specially designed mountain bikes. Mountain bikes share similarities with other bikes but incorporate features designed to enhance durability and pe ...

is popular and international bikers flock to the town. Agriculture is also important, with vines and citrus orchards filling the valley opposite the castle. Agro-chemical plants line the river

Sarca The Sarca is a river springing from the Adamello-Presanella mountains in the Italian Alps and flowing into Lake Garda at Torbole. As an emissary of the lake it becomes known as the Mincio river, forming a single river system long (''Sarca-Minci ...

towards the lake.

Twin towns

Schotten Schotten is a town in the middle of Hesse, Germany. Larger towns nearby include Alsfeld in the north, Fulda in the east, Friedberg in the south and Gießen in the west. Geography Location The officially recognised climatic spa lies between 168 m ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, since 1960 * Bogen,

, since 1983 *

Roccella Ionica Roccella Ionica (; also known as Roccella Jonica or simply as Roccella ( Roccellese: ) is a town and ''comune'' located on the Ionian Sea in Calabria, southern Italy. Possibly built on the site of the ancient Greek settlement of Amphissa, Roccell ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

, since 2007 *

Maybole Maybole is a town and former burgh of barony and police burgh in South Ayrshire, Scotland. It had an estimated population of in . It is situated south of Ayr and southwest of Glasgow by the Glasgow and South Western Railway. The town is bypass ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

The Town of Arco, Italy
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Climate

References

External links

* *
Homepage of the cityArco tourist informationFalesia.it
free climbing in Italy
gardamove.comMountain Guides School ArcoMountain Guides
{{Authority control Cities and towns in Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol Populated places on Lake Garda Garda Mountains