Salò is a town located on the south - west banks of Lake Garda and on a gulf under the Saint Bartolomeo Mount. Salò is the first municipality included in the "Riviera dei Limoni" and it is considered the main town of the Brescia north shores of Lake Garda. Salò history starts with the founding by ancient Romans of the colony of Pagus Salodium (House, Hall), because of its richness in villas and houses. in the first years of XIV century the "Magnifica Patria" (Magnificent Homeland) was constituted, including 34 municipalities on the shores of Lake Garda. After a short protectorate under the rule of Venice (from 1336 to 1349), Salò became a stronghold of the Milanese Visconti family In 1377 Beatrice della Scala, the wife of Bernabò Visconti, wanted Salò to be the capital of the Magnifica Patria. When Napoleon conquered Salò, the decline started. In the first years of XIX century , 16th February 1814, started the Habsburg rule and Salò took the occasion to develop artistically and culturally, thanks to cultivated personalities like the double bass musician Gasparo Bertolotti, who had been given the name of a Musical Festival.
1814: a musical band of the Lombardo-Venetian Kingdom was born, still playing today.
1824: The State School for Bow Instruments was founded
Over these years, Salò was in the middle of battles and changed a lot:
June 1859: Nino Bixio and Giuseppe Garibaldi entered Salò
July 1859: Salò was included in the Sardina Kingdom, and then in the Italian Kingdom
December 1860: Salò received the honorary title of Città (City) and its touristic development started.
The 30th October1901 Salò was deeply damaged by an intense earthquake.
In 1943 Benito Mussolini founded the Italian Social Republic; his aim was to create a new fascist state inside the Italian territory to support the Nazi Germany against the Allies. The Government started his work 4 days after and Salò became the seat of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, of the Prime Minister and fascist press agency. Although Rome remained the Social Republic, Salò, thanks to its strategic position too, became the seat of important Ministries and was named Republic of Salò.
The Italia Social Republic always depended on Germany and was dissolved on 25th April 1945, when the German troops were defeated in Bologna.
