Lazise

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Lazise

Country	Italy
Region	Veneto
Province	Province of Verona (VR)
Mayor

Elevation	76 m
Area	65.0 km²
Population
- Total (as of Dec. 2004)	6,213
- Density	96/km²
Time zone	CET, UTC+1
Coordinates	45°31′N 10°44′E
Gentilic	lazisiensi
Dialing code	045
Postal code	37017, 37010 frazioni
Frazioni	Colà, Pacengo


Location of Lazise in Italy
Website: www.lazisecomune.it/

In 1779, Antonio Frizzi in his work The Story and Memory of the Noble Family Bevilacqua, detailed some of the history of the Bevilacqua family from Lazise:

“Lazise has ancient origins; its territory was inhabited from primitive populations, which raised stilt houses. Between 888 and the year 961, Lazise is called a “free villa”, not subject to some feudatario, in as far as the directed dependencies of the monarch. Its autonomy ended when it was granted in feudo to the family of the Bevilacqua. Thanks to these gentlemen, Lazise is developed and widened becoming an authoritative castle. Remarkable testimony of the participations of development to the work of the feudal gentleman of the Bevilacqua is the Church of Saint Nicolò, of the twelfth century, where it is possible to appreciate frescoes by the school of Giotto. Remarkable it is also the cinquecentesco building of the custom house, constructed for the control of the traffics of many trades and the monastero and the Sanctuary of the Madonna of the Pergolana. At last, not to lose it, there is the park that is developed around the castle, in how much offers relaxant walks with an evocative panorama.”

Pope John XII crowned Otto I Holy Roman Emperor which marked the establishment of the Holy Roman Empire and the German nation on February 2, 962. The title of Holy Roman Emperor was selected since Otto I ruled the European countries who believed in Christianity and he claimed succession from the Ancient Roman Empire. On February 14, 962 the Holy Roman Emperor Otto I left Rome to capture the Papal States from Berengar and Adalbert.

In order to ensure Principe Antonio Bevilacqua’s support, Holy Roman Emperor Otto I issued his Concessagli Decree which granted autonomy to the country of Lazise making it the first free Common of the Italians. Antonio Bevilacqua was made Governor of Lake Garda, and he reconstructed and expanded his family’s immense castle. The castle is now surrounded by the magnificent Villa Bernini Park in Lazise.

Earl Mario Bevilacqua, a famous art collector, helped to convince the Malaspina family to commission Veronese to paint the Bevilacqua-Lazise Altarpiece. In 1546, after almost two years of deliberation, Giovanni Bevilacqua-Lazise commissioned Veronese who was only eighteen years old at the time to paint the Bevilacqua-Lazise Altarpiece.

The Bevilacqua-Lazise branch of the family expanded from the city of Lazise into the town of Saint Giovanni Lupatoto to expand their lumber trade. Angelo Merzari, communal secretary of Saint Giovanni Lupatoto in the nineteenth century, wrote a monograph on the evolution of the economic and social conditions of the territory beginning with the year 1400. The Bevilacqua family had their general quarters in Verona, but their primary port for their lumber trade was 10 miles south at Saint Giovanni Lupatoto. The Bevilacqua-Lazise branch of the family had a villa at a neighboring town called Pontoncello, which was passed on to the Contarini family of Venice through marriage.

Veronese received the commission for the Bevilacqua-Lazise Altarpiece in honor of the deceased Lucrezia Malaspina Bevilacqua-Lazise who always tried to assist the young people of Verona in their careers. Before Giovanni, Lucrezia was married to Count Leonardo Nogarola, and inherited his immense wealth. Leonardo Nogarola was imprisoned and executed for the murder of a member of the della Torre family. Lucrezia donated much of her inheritance for the betterment of the youth of Verona. For the next two years, Veronese would work on his masterpiece which would start him on the path to becoming one of the most famous artists of the Italian Renaissance. The painting was commissioned to feature “The Virgin with the Child with Saints and Givers”. Veronese demonstrated the influence of Parmiagiano and Bassano in his Mannerist inspiration for the painting. He also demonstrated his unique style with acidulated colors, silver plated reflections, realistic fabrics, and his talent at engraving and drawing especially architecture in the BEVILACQUA-LAZISE ALTARPIECE.

Lazise is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Verona in the Italian region Veneto, located about 120 km west of Venice and about 20 km northwest of Verona. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 6,213 and an area of 65.0 km².^[1]