Around the corner – Valeggio sul Mincio

“One of the most beautiful hamlets in Italy”

by Rachele Callegari

Valeggio sul Mincio has a very ancient origin: it dates back to over 35 centuries ago, when the first communities settled on the strips of land that spread across the waters of the river. Over the centuries it has had various dominations that have helped to shape the appearance that the hamlet has today. Of particular interest is the hamlet of Borghetto: it rises directly on the river and is made up of buildings with ancient water mills that in past times exploited the power of the water current.

Those who visit Valeggio cannot fail to pay a visit to the Sigurtà Garden Park, one of the most beautiful and oldest parks in Italy. It originates from the land surrounding the villa of Gerolamo Nicolò Contarini, transformed in the 19th century into an English garden, with water lily ponds, groves and decorative structures. Today the park welcomes visitors with its abundant flora. 

Valeggio and Borghetto are also famous for their tortellini: their characteristic is a very thin pasta sheet, whose origin dates back to a mythical legend. The dough should in fact represent the silk of a knotted handkerchief left as a pledge by a nymph to her beloved of her, a local young man. Every year, on the third Tuesday of June, the Feast of the knot of love is held in Valeggio, precisely in memory of this legend: on the Visconti bridge of Borghetto a long table is set up that hosts over 3000 people, for which pasta factories and restaurants “knot” by hand over 13 tonnes of tortellini.