Varignano-Arco, historical centre, semi-detached house

Arco since ancient times has always been a place of care for people of Trentino and beyond. In fact, its mild climate, due to the peculiar wind current called Ora del Garda, made it the favorite destination for those who suffered from respiratory problems. Even today it is a popular tourist area in all seasons: its microclimate makes it ideal for rest and treatment thanks to the healthy and clean air. The pictoresque little town is full of parks, gardens and villas of unquestionable charm, has excellent natural and artificial climbing gyms that have made it the world capital of free-climbing.

In a reality so welcoming and frequented by both Italian and foreign tourists, we are preparing to visit a property overlooking the church in the ancient town of Varignano, a fraction of Arco just 2 km away from the city centre.

The property is reached by crossing a vaulted arch closed by an important motorized wooden door. We enter the square, where there are three / four vehicles. On the ground floor there is a laundry room with bathroom, a large porch and a splendid stube with a barrel vault. In the basement there is a classic cellar where our bottles of wine and our tasty cold meats will be stored.

The house has kept the architectural features of the past unchanged with an external staircase leading to the upper floors. On the first floor there is a very bright two-bedroom apartment composed of an open-plan living area, with a large kitchen and a living area with fireplace. On the floor there is obviously no lack of a bathroom and a convenient storage room.

On the second floor, the apartment has the same dimensions and characteristics as the one below which differs in the use of finishing materials and the physical separation between the living room and the kitchen.

The top floor, currently accessible via an external retractable staircase, is an attic where the highest part measures 2.25 m and goes down to a minimum of 25 cm.

There are many possibilities for this property, given the good condition of the two apartments, which have recently undergone modernization. Private house for two families, investment for holiday rentals or both, the choice is yours.
But … visit it, it’s the best way to appreciate it!

Arco, the Nice of Trentino: opportunities, features and curiosities.

“In this weather, although it is early December, I feel as if I were living in the earthly paradise, an eternal spring of flowers, of fruit, of a very mild climate, which restores my strength and health…A country that could be sung by Greeks and Latins” Scipione de Castro, guest of the Counts of Arco, 16th century.

Arco, is located north of Riva del Garda in the Busa territory. A favorite tourist destination for Habsburg nobles since the time of the Enlightenment, the town has always enjoyed a very favorable climate characterized by rather mild winters and cool, breezy summers due to the particular geological conformation of the valley.
Here, however, past and present walk hand in hand: in fact, the Castle of Arco, which stands on the distinctive rocky outcrop overlooking the valley, regularly hosts cultural events and activities, ranging from guided tours and educational workshops to concerts and dinners in a medieval-looking setting. But life certainly finds expression not only within the castle walls, but also in the heart of the village.

Here, during the Christmas season, we certainly find the markets, but we can be sure to visit numerous fairs throughout the year, such as the Italian Archery Fair, the open-air market held on a weekly basis, but we are also talking about book presentations and the “Cantiere 26,” a facility located just outside the village, which regularly hosts concerts by great artists of national and international fame.
Also noteworthy is the fact that Arco is a pilgrimage destination for climbers from all over the world, with 576 climbing routes (WikiLoc), hundreds of trekking routes that can be consulted online, and the Climbing Stadium, a climbing gym with over 500 square meters of routes active every day. This is a reality that has well understood the way of the right middle ground between the metropolis, the country, nature, and the desire to have fun.

All of the aforementioned qualities give the idea of an extremely desirable reality. In fact, from the point of view of rents, the market sails on an average of 11.69 €/m², while as far as sales are concerned 2,932 €/m² (Immobiliare.it).
Strolling through Arco, one can see how all roads lead to Piazza 3 Novembre, the main square that also houses the Collegiate Church, an important testimony to the Tridentine Renaissance. The city’s architecture gained a great deal from the rivalries between local nobles, who during the early 1500s began to erect their own monumental palaces. Thus, on the one hand, we have the Palace of Andrea d’Arco, interesting for its frescoes depicting gods, heroes, nymphs, and knights, while on the opposite side of the Piazza stands the Palace of his rival brother Odorico, who certainly could not allow his kinsman to have a leg up in the image race, which is why he commissioned the mural depiction of the entire history of Rome, which can be admired from the building’s inner courtyard.

However, as is often the case in the borderlands between two worlds, interests in Arco were not always solely on the part of locals. And so it is that in the city we witness on a daily basis the striking phenomenon of cultural syncretism, made up of contradictions and compromises, which directly spill over into the appearance of the location. An expression of this continuous exchange, for example, are the Austrian palaces, houses, and casinos that surround the town’s tropical garden just outside the historic center, built on the orders of Archduke Albert of Habsburg to spend vacations with his servants and noble confidants, all great lovers of the favorable climate, the reason why Arco was called the “Nice of Trentino.”

But talent lurks everywhere here, as in the hidden little church of Sant’Apollinare, in which one can admire frescoes from the school of Giotto, very useful to the history of art as a snapshot of the change taking place between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, and in the church of San Rocco, also dating from the 15th century and completely decorated, or more generally in the ancient and picturesque area of San Martino, in which narrow alleys wind their way among the old buildings until they reach the homonymous church, which is also completely frescoed. Nearby passes the road that connects Arco to the provincial capital, Trento, via the Sarca Valley, famous for Lake and Castle Toblino and the prehistoric landscapes of the Marocche, making it effectively impossible not to see at least one beautiful thing a day.