Pastrengo
Pastrengo stands on the moraine hills southeast of Lake Garda, about fifteen kilometres northwest of Verona, within the natural am...
Updated 12 July 2026 · Sources: https://www.carabinieri.it/chi-siamo/ieri/storia/le-date-della-nostra-storia/date-fondamentali-della-storia-dell-arma/la-carica-di-pastrengo · https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carica_di_Pastrengo · https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forti_del_gruppo_di_Rivoli_e_di_Pastrengo
The story
The story of Pastrengo
The Garda Moraine Hills
Pastrengo lies within the moraine amphitheatre that closes Lake Garda to the south, a hilly landscape shaped by ancient glaciers and crossed by the River Mincio, which partly marks the border between Veneto and Lombardy, and between the provinces of Verona and Mantua. It is a territory suited to walking and cycling routes, with open views over the countryside and the lake.
The 1848 Charge of the Carabinieri
On 30 April 1848, during the First Italian War of Independence, three war squadrons of the Royal Carabinieri, commanded by Major Alessandro Negri di Sanfront, charged the Austrian vanguard defending Pastrengo. King Carlo Alberto of Savoy was caught up in the action, coming under enemy fire while positioned among the Piedmontese troops. The charge broke the Austrian line, made up of two battalions, which were forced to fall back towards Pescantina and Ponton.
A Founding Episode for the Corps
Major Negri di Sanfront was struck in the chest during the charge and died the following day. The action earned the Carabinieri corps' colours a Silver Medal for Military Valour and helped determine the battle's outcome in favour of the Piedmontese troops. The Charge of Pastrengo is still remembered today as one of the founding episodes in the Carabinieri's history.
The Austrian Forts of the Quadrilatero
After 1848, the Austrians strengthened control of the territory by building, between 1849 and 1861, eight fortifications known as the Forts of the Rivoli and Pastrengo group, four of them positioned on the hills around the town and the other four defending the Adige narrows between Rivoli Veronese and Ceraino. These works were part of the Quadrilatero system, the network of Austrian fortresses controlling the eastern Po plain.
The Hillside Landscape
Pastrengo's territory, set among vineyards, olive groves and hillside woods, offers hiking routes that reveal both the sites of Risorgimento memory and the remains of the Austrian fortifications, within a landscape opening onto the moraine hills and, on clearer days, towards Lake Garda.
Experiences not to miss
- Ripercorrere i luoghi della carica dei Carabinieri del 1848
- Retrace the sites of the 1848 Charge of the Carabinieri
To see
What to see in Pastrengo
Routes · Trovido Route
Routes in Pastrengo
Jobs · JobFlow
