The Rocca of Manerba, the rocky outcrop prominent on the south-west shore of Lake Garda, has attracted mankind from prehistory to the present day.
Settlements of human beings dates back from 8000 to 5000 years ago, in the area around the Sasso, under the Rocca. Archeological remains testifies the later presence of Etruscans, Gauls and Romans. The propriety of the Rocca passed from the Etruscans, the Visconti Family and the Venetian Republic. The last medieval fortress was destroyed in 1574 beacuse it was become a stronghold of bandits.
On the peak of the Rocca, the remains of the ancient medieval castle and other ancient structures has been intensively restored and are accessible through a paved road, until the car park. Descriptive dashboards allow the itinerary through the encircling walls, stairs and wooden bridges.
On the side where lie the remains, a path allows the passage until the park of the Rocca. This vast park, covering roughly 90 hectares, included the same Rocca and all the coast around, named Parco Naturale Archeologico della Rocca e del Sasso.
The woods cover the major part of the park and the variety of native flora is impressive.
The Visitors centre also hosts the Civic Archeological Museum of Valtenesi. The exhibits, arranged over two floors, are intended to display the archaeological resources of the Rocca and Sasso, the area of the Pieve Santa Maria and the one on the lake.
An ancient legend tells the a cruel wolf living on the Manerba cliff, prevented everyone from getting there. Three young men were chosen to hunt the wolf: one from the town of Moniga, another from Raffa and the last from Pieve Vecchia. The young hunter from Moniga tried to catch the wolf with a living quarry but failed and fell from the cliffs. The second young man was a fisherman and tried to catch the wolf with a net, but failed and died the same way. The third young man was a farmer and howled to the wolf to lure him. When the wolf came close, the young man lifted a cross e cried out to move back. The wolf moved back, fell from the cliff and died.
It is said that, while the citizens of Manerba were celebrating the young farmer from Pieve Vecchia, the other two man's bodies turned into two big rocks in the lake.