Salò

Salò stands on the western shore of Lake Garda. In the later Middle Ages it became the centre of a federation of communities along the lake and in the Val Sabbia. Under Venetian protection this district became known as the Magnifica Patria, with its councils and principal officers based at Salò.

Beatrice della Scala made Salò the capital of the district in 1377, and the town gained walls and a castle. In 1426 the communities of the western shore joined the Venetian Republic. Venice allowed the district considerable autonomy, though it appointed a governor and captain of the Riviera. Linen manufacture developed alongside agriculture and trade. The fall of Venice in 1797 brought an end to Salò's old position as capital of the Riviera.