Soave is a small ''

comune A (; : , ) is an administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions () and provinces (). The can also have the City status in Italy, titl ...

'' of the

Veneto Veneto, officially the Region of Veneto, is one of the 20 regions of Italy, located in the Northeast Italy, north-east of the country. It is the fourth most populous region in Italy, with a population of 4,851,851 as of 2025. Venice is t ...

region in the

Province of Verona The province of Verona (Italian: ''provincia di Verona'') is a province of the Veneto region in Italy. On its northwestern border, Lake Garda—Italy's largest—is divided between Verona and the provinces of Brescia (Lombardy region) and Trentin ...

, northern

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

, with a population of roughly 6,800 people. It is known above all for its

Scaligeri The House of Della Scala, whose members were known as Scaligeri () or Scaligers (; from the Latinized ''de Scalis''), was the ruling family of Verona and mainland Veneto (except for Venice) from 1262 to 1387, for a total of 125 years. History ...

Castle and for the typical wine that bears its name.

Geography

Soave is located approximately east of

Verona Verona ( ; ; or ) is a city on the Adige, River Adige in Veneto, Italy, with 255,131 inhabitants. It is one of the seven provincial capitals of the region, and is the largest city Comune, municipality in the region and in Northeast Italy, nor ...

and is reachable by use of the A4 motorway exit Soave-

San Bonifacio San Bonifacio () is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Verona in the Italian region Veneto, located about west of Venice and about east of Verona. San Bonifacio borders the following municipalities: Arcole, Belfiore, Gambellara, ...

History

Soave was a

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

center on the

via Postumia The Via Postumia was an ancient military Roman road of northern Italy constructed in 148 BC by the ''consul'' Spurius Postumius Albinus Magnus. It ran from the coast at Genoa through the mountains to Dertona, Placentia (the termination of the ...

that connected

Aquileia Aquileia is an ancient Roman city in Italy, at the head of the Adriatic at the edge of the lagoons, about from the sea, on the river Natiso (modern Natisone), the course of which has changed somewhat since Roman times. Today, the city is small ( ...

Genoa Genoa ( ; ; ) is a city in and the capital of the Italian region of Liguria, and the sixth-largest city in Italy. As of 2025, 563,947 people live within the city's administrative limits. While its metropolitan city has 818,651 inhabitan ...

. There are different names about the origin of current name: according to one theory, it could derive from the

Suebi file:1st century Germani.png, 300px, The approximate positions of some Germanic peoples reported by Graeco-Roman authors in the 1st century. Suebian peoples in red, and other Irminones in purple. The Suebi (also spelled Suavi, Suevi or Suebians ...

(sometimes called ''Soavi'' in medieval Italian). The castle was cited for the first time in occasion of the Magyar invasions (934). In the 13th century it was a possession of the Counts Bonifacio, which installed a capitano here. The walls still visible today, were built in 1379 by Cansignorio of the Scaliger family. Their rule was followed by those of the

Visconti of Milan The Visconti of Milan are a noble Italian family. They rose to power in Milan during the Middle Ages where they ruled from 1277 to 1447, initially as Lords then as Dukes, and several collateral branches still exist. The effective founder of the V ...

and the

Carraresi The House of Carrara or Carraresi (da Carrara) was an important family of northern Italy in the 12th to 15th centuries. The family held the title of Lords of Padua from 1318 to 1405. Under their rule, Padua conquered Verona, Vicenza, Treviso, ...

from

Padua Padua ( ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Veneto, northern Italy, and the capital of the province of Padua. The city lies on the banks of the river Bacchiglione, west of Venice and southeast of Vicenza, and has a population of 20 ...

; the latter lost Soave in 1405 to the

Republic of Venice The Republic of Venice, officially the Most Serene Republic of Venice and traditionally known as La Serenissima, was a sovereign state and Maritime republics, maritime republic with its capital in Venice. Founded, according to tradition, in 697 ...

. In 1439 Visconti troops under

Niccolò Piccinino Niccolò Piccinino (1386 – 15 October 1444) was an Italian condottiero. He began his career in the mercenary company of Braccio da Montone, reaching the rank of commander of the company after Braccios death in 1424. He spent most of his career ...

captured it back, but Venice regained it soon. During the

War of the League of Cambrai The War of the League of Cambrai, sometimes known as the War of the Holy League and several other names, was fought from February 1508 to December 1516 as part of the Italian Wars of 1494–1559. The main participants of the war, who fough ...

(1508), the city was fired and 366 Soavesi killed, but again in 1515 it was reacquired by Venice, which later sold the castle to the

Gritti Gritti is an Italian surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Aloisio Gritti (died 1534), Venetian noble *Andrea Gritti (1455–1538), Doge of Venice * Carillo Gritti (1942–2016), Brazilian Roman Catholic bishop * Cornelia Barbaro Gritt ...

noble family. In 1797–1805 the city was under French rule. In 1809 there were small fights between French and Austrian troops in the vicinity. Later Soave was included in the

kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia The Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia (), commonly called the "Lombardo-Venetian Kingdom" (; ), was a constituent land (crown land) of the Austrian Empire from 1815 to 1866. It was created in 1815 by resolution of the Congress of Vienna in recogniti ...

, and in 1866 became part of

Main sights

Castle

The Castle of Soave is a typical medieval military edifice, commanding the neighbourhood of the city from the Tenda Hill. It comprises a ''mastio'' (

donjon A keep is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word ''keep'', but usually consider it to refer to large towers in castles that were fortified residenc ...

) and three lines of walls forming three courts of different size. The outer line, with a gate and a

drawbridge A drawbridge or draw-bridge is a type of moveable bridge typically at the entrance to a castle or tower surrounded by a moat. In some forms of English, including American English, the word ''drawbridge'' commonly refers to all types of moveable b ...

, is the most recent, built by the Venetians in the 15th century. It houses the remains of a small church from the 10th century. The second and larger court, the first of the original castle, is called ''della Madonna'' for a

fresco Fresco ( or frescoes) is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaster, the painting become ...

portraying St. Mary (1321). Another fresco is visible after the door leading to the inner court, and portrays a

Scaliger The House of Della Scala, whose members were known as Scaligeri () or Scaligers (; from the Latinized ''de Scalis''), was the ruling family of Verona and mainland Veneto (except for Venice) from 1262 to 1387, for a total of 125 years. History ...

soldier. The ''mastio'' is the most impressive feature of the castle. Bones found within showed it was used also as prison and place of torture. The House called ''del Capitano'' (the Scaliger commander) houses Roman coins, weapons parts, medals and other ancient remains found during the most recent restoration. Adjacent is a bedroom with a 13th-century fresco with St. Mary and Madeleine and a dining room with medieval kitchenware. Another room houses the portraits of the most famous Scaliger figures: Mastino I, Cangrande, Cansignorio and Taddea da Carrara, wife of Mastino II; the portrait of

Dante Alighieri Dante Alighieri (; most likely baptized Durante di Alighiero degli Alighieri; – September 14, 1321), widely known mononymously as Dante, was an Italian Italian poetry, poet, writer, and philosopher. His ''Divine Comedy'', originally called ...

testify an alleged sojourn of the poet in the castle.

Others

* The Scaliger Walls, built by Cansignorio della Scala, have a length of about 1,600 meters with a total of 24 towers. In origin there were three gates (''Porta Aquila'', now Porta Bassano, ''Porta Vicentina'' and ''Porta Verona''). Two sides (west and south) are backed by a moat. *''Palazzo di Giustizia'' ("Justice Palace"), built in 1375 by Cansignorio della Scala. *Scaliger Palace, near Porta Aquila, also commissioned by Cansignorio. It was the residence of the ''pretori'' and governors of the city and, during the Venetian rule, of the ''Capitani''. It a noteworthy garden. *''Palazzo Cavalli'' (1411). The façade in

Venetian Gothic architecture Venetian Gothic is the particular form of Italian Gothic architecture typical of Venice, originating in local building requirements, with some influence from Byzantine architecture, and some from Islamic architecture, reflecting Venice's trading ...

had once frescoes with mythological figures attributed to

Giovanni Maria Falconetto Giovanni Maria Falconetto (c. 1468–1535) was an Italian architect and painter. He designed among the first high Renaissance buildings in Padua, the '' Loggia Cornaro'', a garden ''loggia'' for Alvise Cornaro built as a Roman doric arcade. Alo ...

. *The ''Chiesa Parrocchiale'' (Parish Church). Built in 1758 over the pre-existing main church, and enlarged in 1884, it houses precious 16th paintings. The belltower has 9 famous bells in C# ringed in

Veronese bellringing art Veronese is the Italian word denoting someone or something from Verona, Italy and may refer to: * Veronese Riddle, a popular riddle in the Middle Ages * ''Veronese'' (moth), a moth genus in the family Crambidae * Monte Veronese, an Italian chee ...

. *'' Santa Maria dei Domenicani'' church (1443, later rebuilt in the same century). *Church of ''San Rocco'', built in the 15th century of a Roman cemetery. *The church of ''San Giorgio''. Until the plague of 1630 housed 15th–16th century, now almost entirely lost. *The Sanctuary of ''Santa Maria della Bassanella'', consecrated in 1098 and renovated in the 20th century. It has noteworthy frescoes (14th century) depicting St. Benedict,

St. Scholastica Scholastica (; – 10 February 543) was an Italian Christian hermit and the sister of Benedict of Nursia. She is traditionally regarded as the foundress of the Benedictine nuns. Scholastica is honored as a saint of the Catholic Church, Easte ...

and other saints.

Gallery

Soave panorama castello.jpg, View from the castle Soave - cinta muraria e castello.jpg, The Scaliger Walls (view sud) Castello Soave 30-08-07 01.jpg, The Scaliger Walls (view nord) Palazzo Cavalli, building in the city centre of Soave, Italy.jpg, Palazzo Cavalli, built in 1411 Palazzo di Giustizia, Soave.jpg, Justice Palace, built in 1375 PanoramaCastelcerino.jpg, Castelcerino (frazione) Fittà vista dal quadrivio - panoramio.jpg, Vineyards in winter

Twin towns

Soave is twinned with: *

Claye-Souilly Claye-Souilly () is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. Demography The inhabitants are called ''Clayois''. Personalities * Jules de Polignac (1745–1817) was born here in 1745. He ...

, France *

Kelheim Kelheim () is a town and municipality in Bavaria, Germany. It is the capital of the Kelheim (district), district Kelheim and is situated at the confluence of the rivers Altmühl and Danube. Kelheim has a population of around 16,750 (2020). His ...

, Germany

External links

Images from Soave - February 2006

{{authority control Cities and towns in Veneto Castles in Italy Wine regions of Italy