Lombardia · Mantova
Castellaro Lagusello
A walled medieval borgo south of Lake Garda, ringed by 13th-century stone walls and overlooking a small heart-shaped natural lake that gives the village its second name and most-photographed silhouette.
Picked by Peter Benei
Letter to come
Why Castellaro Lagusello is on our list
It holds Borghi più belli d'Italia.
Subscribe and you get Castellaro Lagusello's letter the day it comes out.
Visiting
- Best time
- Apr–Oct
- By car
- 38 min from Verona
- Population
- 250
- J8°
- F12°
- M15°
- A18°
- M23°
- J28°
- J30°
- A30°
- S25°
- O20°
- N13°
- D8°
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
Daytime air temperature, averages for 2020–2024. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.
Why come
Castellaro Lagusello is a frazione of Monzambano on the morainic hills south of Lake Garda, and one of the smallest entries in the Borghi più belli d'Italia network. The village sits inside a tight ring of 13th-century stone walls built by the Scaligeri of Verona, and the single arched gate opens onto the central piazza in front of the parish church of San Nicola. The defining feature is the small heart-shaped lake below (the laghetto di Castellaro Lagusello, a natural glacial pond formed at the end of the last ice age), which the village overlooks from its low promontory and which has shaped the village's name (Lagusello = "little lake") for centuries.
The lakeside path is a marshland reserve protected by the WWF, with birdwatching hides and a constant population of herons and kingfishers. Villa Tacoli on the south side of the village is privately held but visible from the promenade. The whole place takes less than an hour to walk and is best paired with the morning produce market in Monzambano or an afternoon at the Lago di Garda south shore, twenty minutes away.
How to get there
From Verona (VRN), about 37 min by car.
Milan Bergamo (BGY) is about 1 h 4 min away.
By car from the center of Brescia 41 min or Trento 1 h 16 min.
Coming by train into Verona Porta Nuova? Castellaro Lagusello is about 38 min away by road.
Every town within reach of Verona airport.
First time driving in Italy? Read our complete manual.
What to see
Mura medievali e porta d'ingresso
13th-century walled ring built by the Scaligeri of Verona, with a single arched gate opening into the village's central piazza.
Laghetto di Castellaro Lagusello
Small heart-shaped glacial lake below the village, a WWF-protected marshland reserve with birdwatching hides and a circular footpath.
Chiesa di San Nicola
Parish church on the central piazza, with a 16th-century facade and a single nave looking onto the village's only square.
Villa Tacoli
Privately held 18th-century villa on the southern edge of the village, visible from the lakeside promenade and surrounded by formal gardens.
Living here
Could you live here?
Castellaro Lagusello is a village with a town close by.
- A village of 250, with Valeggio sul Mincio (16,059 people) 13 min away for the shopping and a meal out. Our rule is a town within 15 minutes.
- Brescia, a city of 199,853, is 41 min by car. Inside our 30 to 60 minutes: close for the services, far enough to keep its own life.
The rules come from our series Where to Move in Italy, written from the places we have lived: Part 1, The End of the Road · Part 2, The Small Town · Part 3, The City · Part 4, The Postcard · Part 5, The Other Half. The towns we would pick are in Part 6, The Best Towns.
- Population 250. Monzambano, the comune it belongs to, is down 0.5% since 2015
- Nearest city Brescia, 41 min drive
- Nearest national health service hospital Peschiera del Garda, 8 km as the crow flies · how healthcare works in Italy
- Homes in the center of Monzambano: €850 to €1,200 per m² to buy, €4.00 to €6.50 per m² a month to rent
Weighing a move here? See the moving year.
All the numbers Common questions, designations, lists and sources.
More about living here
- Commuter belt
- Pharmacy: none mapped
- High school within a 30-minute drive
- Full fibre reaches 82% of homes
- Primary school in the comune
- Earthquake zone 2, medium hazard
- Verona airport (VRN), 37 min drive, the nearest with scheduled flights
- Regional capital Milan, 1 h 42 min drive
If you are moving here
Most figures here are for the comune of Monzambano, which this town belongs to.
Who lives here
12% of residents are foreign citizens, most often from Romania, Morocco and China, against 9% across Italy. 23 of them come from English-speaking countries or western and northern Europe, mostly Germany. There are 225 people over 65 for every 100 children under 15, against 216 across Italy. 21% of homes have no resident, holiday homes and empty ones counted together, against 27% across Italy. Mantua province ranks 34th of 107 in Il Sole 24 Ore's quality of life ranking for 2025.
Health and schools
The nearest emergency room is in Peschiera del Garda, 8 km as the crow flies. The nearest major one is in Mantua, 28 km away. The nearest children's emergency room is in Verona, 30 km away. The nearest IB school is International School Brescia, 21 km as the crow flies. There are 2 within 30 km.
Information, not medical advice. Confirm with a professional.
Taxes
A home that is not your main one pays 1.06% a year in property tax, charged on the cadastral value rather than the price. A main home pays none unless it is in a luxury category. The town adds 0.8% to your income tax, with nothing due on income under €10,000. 7% pensioner tax: this town is not in a qualifying area.
Information, not tax advice. Confirm with a professional.
What it costs
The average household in Lombardia spends about €2,410 a month, €510 of it on food, against about €2,170 across Italy. A family of three pays about €415 a year for water, on the Lombardia average. In Mantua, the provincial capital, in September 2026, an espresso cost €1.35, a meal in a pizzeria €13.90 and a man's haircut €20.84.
Climate and risk
It is in climate zone E, on a scale from A, the warmest, to F, the coldest, and heating may run from October 15 to April 15, up to 14 hours a day, unless the mayor changes it. Under 1% of residents live in a zone the national maps rate high for floods. They show no residents in a high landslide zone.
These shares cover the whole comune, not any one street. Check an address on IdroGEO.
Moving from abroad? Which visa you need. Sources: ISTAT, the Ministry of Health, ISPRA, the Finance Ministry, the Ministry of Enterprise, Poste Italiane, the comuni, the IB, International Schools Database, Il Sole 24 Ore, Cittadinanzattiva.
Known for
HEART LAKE
The heart-shaped laghetto below the walls, Castellaro Lagusello's defining silhouette and the source of its name.
SCALIGERI WALLS
13th-century walled ring with a single gate, one of the smallest surviving Scaligeri fortifications in Lombardia.
WWF RESERVE
The marshland around the heart-lake is a protected WWF reserve, with consistent populations of herons and kingfishers.
Common questions
- What is Castellaro Lagusello known for?
- Castellaro Lagusello is a walled medieval borgo south of Lake Garda, ringed by 13th-century stone walls and overlooking a small heart-shaped natural lake that gives the village its second name and most-photographed silhouette.
- Where is Castellaro Lagusello?
- Castellaro Lagusello is a hamlet of the comune of Monzambano, in the province of Mantova, in Lombardia, at 138 meters above sea level.
- What is the nearest airport to Castellaro Lagusello?
- The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Verona (VRN), about 37 min by car.
- How long is the drive from Brescia to Castellaro Lagusello?
- About 41 min by car.
- When is the best time to visit Castellaro Lagusello?
- Best in Apr–Oct. July is the warmest month, averaging 30 degrees, and May the wettest, with about 15 rain days.
- Which other towns are like Castellaro Lagusello?
- Zuccarello, Monzambano and Fortunago.
- How many people live in Castellaro Lagusello?
- About 250, by the latest count we hold.
- Is Castellaro Lagusello a good place to live?
- By the rules in our Where to Move in Italy series, Castellaro Lagusello is a village with a town of 5,000 people within 15 minutes (Valeggio sul Mincio, 13 min). The nearest city, Brescia, is 41 min away by car. The nearest national health service hospital is in Peschiera del Garda, 8 km as the crow flies. Full fibre reaches 82% of homes.
Tags & data designations · numbers · sources
Recognized as
The numbers
- Elevation: 138 m
- Population: 250
These figures were compiled from public directories: ISTAT, OpenStreetMap and Wikidata, and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.
The ranked lists
Lists Castellaro Lagusello appears in
- The 6 prettiest villages in the province of MantovaMantova provinceprettiest villages6 towns · smallest 250 residents
- The best hill towns within 75 minutes of VeronaNear Veronahill townwithin 75 min7 towns · smallest 250 residents · closest 34 min away
- The best hill towns within 75 minutes of BresciaNear Bresciahill townwithin 75 min8 towns · smallest 250 residents · closest 34 min away
- The best hidden hill towns in LombardiaLombardiahill townhidden9 towns · smallest 244 residents
- The best hill towns within 90 minutes of PaduaNear Paduahill townwithin 90 min10 towns · smallest 250 residents · closest 28 min away
Similar
Towns like Castellaro Lagusello
What all six share with Castellaro Lagusello: inland, away from the coast
Zuccarello
Province: Savona
both under 1,000 people · both near sea level
Monzambano
Province: Mantova
both near sea level
Fortunago
Province: Pavia
both under 1,000 people
- Written about. No. 86.
Scheggino
Province: Perugia
both under 1,000 people
Cella Monte
Province: Alessandria
both under 1,000 people
Serralunga di Crea
Province: Alessandria
both under 1,000 people
The letter
Castellaro Lagusello is on our list. Its letter is still to come.
We are writing about all 1,000 of these towns, one at a time, in a free letter: the photo, what is worth eating, and when to turn up. That is our mission. Sign up and you will be there when Castellaro Lagusello comes up. By Peter & Sophia, from Turin.
The nearest town we have written up is Chioggia, 130 km away. Read its letter →
Paid plans, the moving year and the books are on the membership page.