Riva - Italian city (13,200 inhabitants)
Riva is a picturesque little city on the north end of the Lago di Garda (Garda Lake) in the north of Italy, in the triangle Trento-Bergamo-Verona. Because of its location, Riva is sometimes referred to as Riva del Garda. It is also on the foot of the Rocchetta mountain (1,521 m).
The centre of town is the harbour and its square, the Piazza 3 Novembre. The Torre Apponale on the square is a bell tower that dates from 1273. The Piazza 3 Novembre is surrounded by many monuments, such as the palace Palazzo Pretorio (1370), for which Riva can thank the Scaligeri, who ruled Verona and the region in those times. Left of the Palazzo, the former city ruler of Venice held office in the City Hall (1475).
Other significant buildings in Riva include the gothic church Maria Assunta that was rebuilt in a baroque style in the 18th century, the bastion ruins (1509), the baroque church Inviolata (1603) and the Castel la Rocca, also near the harbour, in which the city museum exhibits prehistoric pile dwellings that were discovered nearby at the Lago di Ledro. This Castel la Rocca is the former castle of the Scaligeri, who lived here from the 12th to the 15th century. It was reconstructed in the 19th century.
Riva is also known for its international sailing regatta in March and the Expo Riva Surf in May. The Garda Lake attracts masses of tourists from all over Europe in the summer.