Monzambano

Monzambano, with an extension of approximately 30 square kilometers and a population of approximately 4,800 inhabitants, is located in the heart of the Garda Morainic Hills. Together with Ponti sul Mincio, it constitutes the extreme northern tip of the province of Mantua. However, it has only been part of it since 1805 because before that, except for very short periods, it was always under Venetian influence. Furthermore, until the end of the seventies of the last century, it was the Diocese of Verona. This is perceived in the dialect, in the cuisine, and in the local memory.
Castellaro Lagusello has been part of the municipality of Monzambano only since 1806, previously it was a distinct entity, with a partially different history.

MONZAMBANO

The name of the town itself reveals its morphological characteristics and its conformation; although there are several hypotheses, the most accredited would derive the name from “Mons Ambus” (i.e.: two mountains) or from the Celtic “Mons Zambana” (i.e., mountain of the curve, a curve which would probably refer to the depression between the two hills on which the Castle is located).
In any case, it seems clear that the first characteristic of the territory is that of following the trend of the hills on which the Castle is located.
Another interesting element is the coat of arms: what is currently in use – an aquatic landscape with two hills in the background crowned by cypresses, a hint of reeds and a hunting dog in the foreground – is not the original coat of arms of Monzambano, but rather the result of a slow modification that occurred between the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth century of the ancient one, and distorts its two essential elements, the image of the dog and that of the hills. The authentic one (on the keystone of the Municipality) showed a guard dog and two hills with two tongues of fire at the peak, both symbols of the town’s loyalty to the Scaligeri family.
The castle is the oldest part of Monzambano. From then on, the town developed going down towards the Mincio, which has always represented an essential element for the town.