Riva

Riva stands at the northern end of Lake Garda, where lake traffic meets roads into the Alpine valleys. The bishops of Trent held rights over the town in the Middle Ages; a document of 1155 regulated rents, use of the harbour and military assistance. Its position drew the attention of neighbouring powers, and Riva passed at different times under the control of the Scaligeri of Verona and the Visconti of Milan.

In 1440 Venice captured Riva after fighting Milan on Lake Garda. The Venetians had hauled vessels overland from the Adige to bring a fleet onto the lake. Near the end of their rule they built a bastion above the town, but Venice withdrew in 1509 and the territory returned to the bishop of Trent. In the seventeenth century Riva produced wine, paper and silk and served as a lake port for timber brought down from the valleys.