Situated on the delta of the Toscolano stream, the two small towns of Toscolano and Maderno
have an ancient roman origin.
They were joined together in a single municipality in 1928.
During the Middle Ages Maderno had a remarkable political and administrative importance.
In the XVII and XVIII centuries the dukes of Mantua fixed their sommer residence in the
Gonzaga palace and in the Villa del Serraglio.
Both in Maderno and in Toscolano the
squares offer many important artistic proofs.
The parish Churc dedicated to Saint Peter and
to saint Paul is worth visiting.
The inside is dominated by the canvas of the venetian Andrea Celesti ( 1637-after 1712 ),
who left here a big mark of his lively imagination, painting
three big canvas: Simon Mago's fall, the delivery of the key and Saint Paul's and Saint
Peter's martyrdom.
Until XVI century Toscolano was the seat of important paper mills and
factories placed along the valley, where the torrent with the same name
flows.
In front of the lake stands the fifteen-century Madonna del Benaco's shrine. In Saint
Markus' square, in Maderno, stands the Saint John's basilica, which is a beautiful example
of romanesque-lombard Architecture. The basilica was built on an old wreck, that preserved
relics of Saint Herculaneum , who was the bishops of Brescia. The inside has three aisle
and under the presbytery there is the recently restored crypt.
The parish Church, with neoclassical forms, houses among many others, a workshop canvas,
which portrays Saint Herculaneum with the Angel. On the opposite side of the square there
is the monument to Giuseppe Zanardelli "The beautiful Italy", realised in 1909 by Leonardo
Bistolfi. Close to it rises the Saint Mark's column, built in XVI century as symbol of the
venetian rule, which lasted until 1797.
How to get there
There is a ferry from Torri del Benaco to Toscolano Maderno, see its schedule at www.navigazionelaghi.it.
Toscolano Maderno - Photo © 
