Museo Civico Archeologico della Valtenesi e Parco Archeologico della Rocca di Manerba

The Museum: The building, the result of the readaptation of a pre-existing construction with the addition of a new body, stands in a "strategic" position along the slope leading to the summit of the Rocca. The structure is characterised, on the west side facing the lake and the surrounding countryside, by a large glass wall that not only provides great light for the interiors, but also emphasises the close connection of the complex with the surrounding landscape. Inside, the exhibition itinerary is developed on two levels and intends to contextually valorise the archaeological realities and the landscape and naturalistic aspects of the Manerba territory, emphasising how the Rocca Nature Reserve is in fact the real "Museum".

The Archaeological Park: On the ground floor, the archaeological itinerary, with explanatory and didactic bilingual panels (in Italian and English) and a selection of finds displayed in showcases, illustrates the settlement contexts investigated in the Manerba del Garda area: the multi-layered site of the Rocca and Sasso; that of the Pieve di Santa Maria and that of S. Sivino, on the lakeshore, with the remains of a Bronze Age pile-dwelling settlement that is part of the UNESCO world heritage site. On display to the public are artefacts from surface research and stratigraphic excavations conducted in the localities of Sasso and Riparo Valtenesi, Rocca, Pieve and San Sivino. Some of these artefacts later became part of the layout of the Valtenesi Archaeological Museum, first in premises near the Pieve di Santa Maria and later in the premises in Piazza Simonati. The criterion followed in the layout of the exhibition is topographic, that is, by circumscribed settlement contexts, within each of which the various events that affected each site were followed, from the most ancient to the most recent period. In this way, four main nuclei have been created, with the aim of providing a picture of human settlement in the area, which is always open to further study and variation.