Lombardy · Brescia
Toscolano-Maderno
Twin lakeside villages on the western shore of Garda, paper mill suppliers to the Republic of Venice from the 14th century onward.
Known for
VENETIAN PAPER
From around 1300 the Valle delle Cartiere supplied the Republic of Venice; Martin Luther's Bible was printed on its paper.
SANT'ANDREA
12th-century Romanesque-Lombard basilica in Maderno, polychrome marble facade on the site of a Roman temple.
BANDIERA BLU
Bandiera Blu for clean swimming water on the Maderno lungolago, one of the western Garda's safer family beaches.
When to visit
Best · Apr–Oct
- J
- F
- M
- A
- M
- J
- J
- A
- S
- O
- N
- D
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
The festa: Santi Pietro e Paolo, 29 June
Why come
Toscolano-Maderno occupies a wide flat fan on the western shore of Lake Garda, the two old villages of Toscolano and Maderno split by the Toscolano river and stitched into a single commune only in 1928. The Romans built a villa here for the Nonii family; its mosaic floors are still visible in the lakeside park. Maderno served as the capital of the Magnifica Patria della Riviera di Salò until Beatrice della Scala moved the seat to Salò in the 14th century, and the loss of administrative weight was offset by paper.
The first mills along the Toscolano date to around 1300; by the 15th and 16th centuries the Valle delle Cartiere supplied paper to the printers of the Venetian Republic, marked with an ox-head watermark and exported to royal libraries. Martin Luther's Bible was printed on it. The 12th-century Basilica di Sant'Andrea in Maderno, Romanesque-Lombard with polychrome marble, anchors the older quarter. The commune holds the Bandiera Blu for clean swimming water.
The Sunday letter
We haven’t written Toscolano-Maderno’s letter yet.
One town every Sunday, with the photo, the food, the festa. Be there when this one comes up. Free, by Peter & Sophia from Pietrasanta.
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What to see
Basilica di Sant'Andrea
12th-century Romanesque-Lombard church in Maderno, polychrome marble facade with carved portals, on the foundations of a pagan temple.
Chiesa dei Santi Pietro e Paolo
Parish church of Toscolano, rebuilt in 1584 on the remains of an earlier parish church, frescoed interior.
Villa romana dei Nonii
Roman villa built in the 1st century AD for the Nonii family, mosaic floors preserved in the lakeside park.
Valle delle Cartiere
Paper-mill valley up the Toscolano river, ruins of mills running from around 1300, now an ecomuseum and walking route.
Museo della Carta
Paper museum in the Valle delle Cartiere, equipment and documents from six centuries of fine paper production.
Lungolago di Maderno
Lakeside promenade and beach, Bandiera Blu water, with the ferry pier and views across to Torri del Benaco.
The slow-trip planner
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Living here
- Population 7,546
- Off the beaten pathi
- Pharmacy in town
- High school within a 30-minute drive
- Nearest airport Milan, 1 h 24 min drive
- Regional capital Milano, 2 h 1 min drive
Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources
Recognised as
The numbers
- Elevation: 72 m
- Population: 7,546
- Surface area: 58.17 km²
These figures were compiled from public directories — ISTAT, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata — and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.
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