Salò (; ) is a town and ''
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 ...
'' in the
Province of Brescia
The province of Brescia (; Brescian: ) is a Provinces of Italy, province in the Lombardy region of Italy. It has a population of some 1,265,964 (as of January 2019) and its capital is the city of Brescia.With an area of 4,785 km2, it is the ...
in the region of
Lombardy
The Lombardy Region (; ) is an administrative regions of Italy, region of Italy that covers ; it is located in northern Italy and has a population of about 10 million people, constituting more than one-sixth of Italy's population. Lombardy is ...
(northern Italy) on the banks of
Lake Garda
Lake Garda (, , or , ; ; ) is the largest lake in Italy. It is a popular holiday location in northern Italy, between Brescia and Milan to the west, and Verona and Venice to the east. The lake cuts into the edge of the Eastern Alps, Italian Alp ...
, on which it has the longest promenade. The city was the
seat of government
The seat of government is (as defined by ''Brewer's Politics'') "the building, complex of buildings or the city from which a government exercises its authority".
In most countries, the nation's Capital city, capital is also seat of its governmen ...
of the
Italian Social Republic
The Italian Social Republic (, ; RSI; , ), known prior to December 1943 as the National Republican State of Italy (; SNRI), but more popularly known as the Republic of Salò (, ), was a List of World War II puppet states#Germany, German puppe ...
from 1943 to 1945, a state often referred to as the "Salò Republic" (''Repubblica di Salò'' in Italian).
History
Roman period
Although legend has it that Salò has
Etruscan origins, recorded history starts with the founding by ancient Romans of the colony of ''Pagus Salodium''. There are numerous ruins of the Roman settlement, as shown by the ''Lugone
necropolis'' (in via Sant'Jago) and the findings (vase-flasks and funeral steles) in the Civic Archaeological Museum located at the ''Loggia della Magnifica Patria''.
Middle Ages
During the high Middle Ages, the city shared the same history as that of
Lombardy
The Lombardy Region (; ) is an administrative regions of Italy, region of Italy that covers ; it is located in northern Italy and has a population of about 10 million people, constituting more than one-sixth of Italy's population. Lombardy is ...
.
The origins of the municipality of Salò are barely known: its autonomy from
Brescia
Brescia (, ; ; or ; ) is a city and (municipality) in the region of Lombardy, in Italy. It is situated at the foot of the Alps, a few kilometers from the lakes Lake Garda, Garda and Lake Iseo, Iseo. With a population of 199,949, it is the se ...
can be dated towards the end of the 13th century or the beginning of the next one, and the most ancient statues conserved by the city authorities are dated 1397.
Prior to 1334, the town was part of a sort of federation of town councils of the territory along the western lakeshore of Lake Garda (from
Limone down to
Desenzano) and the
Valsabbia areas, called ''Riperia Lacus Gardae Brixiensis'' with the chef-lieu of
Maderno.
The federation did not want to form an alliance with
Brescia
Brescia (, ; ; or ; ) is a city and (municipality) in the region of Lombardy, in Italy. It is situated at the foot of the Alps, a few kilometers from the lakes Lake Garda, Garda and Lake Iseo, Iseo. With a population of 199,949, it is the se ...
nor with
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 ...
deciding instead to request the help of Venice. Due to the distance of Venice, this strategy did not guarantee the independence of the area and, after a short protectorate under the rule of Venice (from 1336 to 1349), Salò became a stronghold of the
Milanese Visconti family. In 1377 Beatrice della Scala, the wife of
Bernabò Visconti, wanted Salò to be the capital of the area, reducing the influence of
Maderno: the city was provided with solid walls and the castle was built.
The ''Magnifica Patria''

On 13 May 1426, after a long period of war, the towns of western bank of the lake spontaneously joined the
Venetian Republic
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 ...
, where they remained for the following three centuries: in the main square a column with the
Lion of St Mark, symbol of Venice, can be found still today.
Over the years, Venice gave large autonomy to this province of its ''
Stato da Tera'', that remained a ''de facto'' independent area and was given both the titles of ''Magnifica Patria'' (Magnificent Homeland) and ''Figlia primogenita della Serenissima'' (firstborn daughter of the
Serenissima).
The general council of the ''Patria'' and its other institutions remained all centred in Salò (which gained importance and influence), although a governor was sent by the capital, who was given the titles of ''Provveditore'' (Superintendent) and ''Capitano della Riviera'' (Captain of the Riviera) and the power to act as penal judge for the whole Riviera (whilst civil justice was entrusted to a Brescian
podestà
(), also potestate or podesta in English, was the name given to the holder of the highest civil office in the government of the cities of central and northern Italy during the Late Middle Ages. Sometimes, it meant the chief magistrate of a c ...
who also resided in Salò). Besides farming and trade, the
linen
Linen () is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant.
Linen is very strong and absorbent, and it dries faster than cotton. Because of these properties, linen is comfortable to wear in hot weather and is valued for use in garments. Lin ...
industry developed in this period.
Napoleonic era and Risorgimento
In 1796 Napoleons troops fought with Austrian troops in Northern Italy during the
First Italian campaign. The end of the Venetian republic (
Treaty of Campo Formio
The Treaty of Campo Formio (today Campoformido) was signed on 17 October 1797 (26 Vendémiaire VI) by Napoleon Bonaparte and Count Philipp von Cobenzl as representatives of the French Republic and the Austrian monarchy, respectively. The trea ...
) ended Salò's position as the capital of the western riviera: on 1 January 1797, the provisional Brescian government instituted the Canton of Benaco with the capital of Benaco, "aforesaid Salò": the town joined the
Cisalpine Republic
The Cisalpine Republic (; ) was a sister republic or a client state of France in Northern Italy that existed from 1797 to 1799, with a second version until 1802.
Creation
After the Battle of Lodi in May 1796, Napoleon Bonaparte organized two ...
and then the
Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy (1805–1814).
After the Napoleonic Era, Salò became part of the Austrian
Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia from 1815 to 1859.
In 1848 Salò joined the Milan revolution against the Habsburg rule and during the
Second Italian War of Independence
The Second Italian War of Independence, also called the Sardinian War, the Austro-Sardinian War, the Franco-Austrian War, or the Italian War of 1859 (Italian: ''Seconda guerra d'indipendenza italiana''; German: ''Sardinischer Krieg''; French: ...
, there were many volunteers that fought with Garibaldi serving in the Piedmontese Army. On 18 June 1859, Garibaldi entered Salò and was welcomed by a happy crowd. Salò received the honorary title of ''Città'' (City) with a royal decree on 15 December 1860.
In 1866 the town was the headquarters of the Italian navy during the
war with Austria. After the
battle of Custoza the Austrians temporarily retook control of the town, but despite their victory and a naval defeat of the Italians at
Lissa, the Austrians surrendered to the Prussians a month later and were forced to cede
Venetia after the
Treaty of Vienna.
Italian Social Republic
From 1943 to 1945 Salò was the ''de facto'' capital (
seat of government
The seat of government is (as defined by ''Brewer's Politics'') "the building, complex of buildings or the city from which a government exercises its authority".
In most countries, the nation's Capital city, capital is also seat of its governmen ...
) of
Benito Mussolini
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who, upon assuming office as Prime Minister of Italy, Prime Minister, became the dictator of Fascist Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 un ...
's
Nazi
Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...
-backed
puppet state
A puppet state, puppet régime, puppet government or dummy government is a State (polity), state that is ''de jure'' independent but ''de facto'' completely dependent upon an outside Power (international relations), power and subject to its ord ...
, the
Italian Social Republic
The Italian Social Republic (, ; RSI; , ), known prior to December 1943 as the National Republican State of Italy (; SNRI), but more popularly known as the Republic of Salò (, ), was a List of World War II puppet states#Germany, German puppe ...
, also known as the Republic of Salò: Villa Castagna was the seat of the police headquarters, Villa Amedei was the head office of the
Ministry of Popular Culture, Villa Simonini (nowadays Hotel Laurin) was the seat of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the
Stefani Agency, which distributed official press releases, was located in Via Brunati.
Main sights
File:Salò 08.jpg, Salò main square
File:Porta dell'orologio Salò.jpg, ''Porta dell'Orologio'' (Clock's Town Gate)
File:Chiesa di S Maria Annunciata - Salò (Foto Luca Giarelli).jpg, Façade of the Duomo
File:Abside e Cristo Duomo di Salò.jpg, The interior of the Duomo
File:Museo di Salò MUSA lato Ovest Salò sul Lago di Garda.jpg, The local museum ''MUSA''
*The ''
Duomo di Santa Maria Annunziata'' (cathedral of the Annunciation to Saint Mary), rebuilt in late Gothic style in the 15th century. It has a noteworthy Renaissance portal by
Gasparo Cairano and
Antonio Mangiacavalli, paintings by
Zenone Veronese (16th century), a Polyptych of
Paolo Veneziano
Paolo Veneziano, also Veneziano Paolo or Paolo da Venezia (active by 1333, died after 1358) was a 14th-century painter from Venice, the "founder of the Venetian school (art), Venetian School" of painting, probably active between about 1321 and 13 ...
's school and a ''Madonna and Saints'' by
Romanino.
*The ''Palazzo della Magnifica Patria'' ("Palace of the Magnificent Fatherland", 16th century). The palace is home to the Historical Museum of the Azure Ribbon, an exhibition of documents on Renaissance history, on Italy's colonial wars, the Spanish Civil War and the Resistance against Fascism.
*The Communal Palace is the seat of the Civic Archaeological Museum, with findings from the ancient ''Salodium''.
*The local museum ''MUSA'', opened in 2015.
Seismicity
The area around the lake is a
seismic zone
In seismology, a seismic zone or seismic belt is an area of seismicity potentially sharing a common cause. It can be referred to as an earthquake belt as well. It may also be a region on a map for which a common areal rate of seismicity is assume ...
. In 1877 a
meteorological observatory was established under the supervision Prof. Pio Bettoni, to whom it was later dedicated. In 1889, a geophysical observatory (seismic station) was added, which became an important scientific research centre after the 1901 earthquake (5.5
Mw, intensity VII–VIII, no fatalities, buildings damaged). Another earthquake occurred in 2004 (5.1
Mw, intensity VII–VIII, nine injuries, many buildings damaged).
Education
Schools include:
* Sezione Primavera "Paola di Rosa"
* Preschools:
** Scuola dell’Infanzia Trivero
** Scuola dell’Infanzia Montessori
** Scuola dell’Infanzia Paola di Rosa
* Elementary schools:
** Scuola Primaria T. Olivelli
** Scuola Primaria S. Giuseppe
* Junior high schools:
** Scuola Secondaria 1º Grado D'Annunzio
** Scuola Secondaria 1º Grado E. Medi
*
Liceo Scientifico E. Fermi – Senior high school
The comune has a library, the Biblioteca Civica di Salò.
[Biblioteca]
" Salò. Retrieved on 26 February 2017.
Sports
Salò is home to the football team
Feralpisalò, which was formed in 2009 after the merger of
A.C. Salò and
A.C. Feralpi Lonato.
Municipal government
Salò is headed by a
mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...
(') assisted by a legislative body, the ', and an executive body, the '. Since 1995 the mayor and members of the ' are directly elected together by resident citizens, while from 1945 to 1995 the mayor was chosen by the legislative body. The ' is chaired by the mayor, who appoints others members, called '. The offices of the ' are housed in a building usually called the ' or '.
Since 1995 the mayor of Salò is directly elected by citizens, originally every four, then every five years. The current mayor is Francesco Cagnini, a
center-left independent, elected on 10 June 2024 with the 40% of the votes.
Notable residents
*
Benito Mussolini
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who, upon assuming office as Prime Minister of Italy, Prime Minister, became the dictator of Fascist Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 un ...
, Italian
fascist dictator
*
Gasparo da Salò, one of the earliest violin makers
*
Pietro Bellotto, late-Baroque painter born in
Volciano
*
Ferdinando Bertoni, Italian composer and organist
*
Marco Enrico Bossi, Italian composer and organist
*
Sante Cattaneo, 19th century Painter
*
Luigi Comencini
Luigi Comencini (; 8 June 1916 – 6 April 2007) was an Italian film director. Together with Dino Risi, Ettore Scola, and Mario Monicelli, he was considered among the masters of the "commedia all'italiana" genre.
His daughters Cristina Comencin ...
, Italian film director
*
Angelo Zanelli, Italian sculptor
*
Nino Bertasio, golfer
*
Alessio Lorandi
Alessio Lorandi (born 8 September 1998) is an Italian former racing driver.
Career
Karting
Lorandi began his racing career in karting in 2007. He won the Karting Federation Junior championship in 2013 and remained in karting until 2014.
Formu ...
, racing driver
*
Leonardo Lorandi, racing driver
Gallery
File:Palazzo comunale Piazza della Vittoria porticato Salò.jpg, Arcades
File:Palazzo liberty Lungolago Zanardelli Salò.jpg, Liberty style architecture
File:Villino a Salò Lago di Garda.jpg, Private house
File:Lago di Garda - Salò - Via San Carlo - ICE Photocompilation Viewing from East to ESE.jpg, St. Charles statue
File:Monumento a Giuseppe Zanardelli B a Salò.jpg, Monument to Giuseppe Zanardelli
File:Porta dell'Orologio a Salò.jpg, The clock tower
File:Golfo e filare di cipresso comune in Via Tavini a Salò.jpg, Main shore
Climate
References
External links
City of Salò
{{DEFAULTSORT:Salo
Cities and towns in Lombardy
Capitals of former nations
Italian Social Republic
Populated places on Lake Garda