# Exterior view [View the canonical artwork record]() ## Artwork - Artist: [ARCHITECT, Italian]() - Date: 1251-1300 - Technique: Photo ## Commentary In the countryside of Italy in the Gothic period, the castles of the nobility retained their military aspect intact. The Scaliger fortress in Sirmione at the Lake Garda is a stronghold that conceal comfortable residential apartments in its interior. In the first half of the 13th century, Sirmione fell into the hands of the Scaliger family. It is believed that the castle had been founded by Mastino I della Scala. The town continued to be an important military centre until the 16th century. The castle had been built in the 13th century and had been a port fortification which had been used widely by the fleet of the Scaliger family. The castle dominates the landscape of the town and has a large moat. ## Related artworks - [Aerial view]() - [Aerial view]() - [Apse of a basilica]() - [Arsenale Gateway]() - [Arsenale Gateway]() - [Basilica di Sant'Antonio: Chiostro del Noviziato]() - [Basilica Santi Nereo e Achilleo]() - [Ca' Foscari: Façade]() - [Chamber of the millers]() - [Chiesa dell'Incoronata: Interior of the dome]() - [Cloister gallery]() - [Detail of the façade]() ## Attribution [Web Gallery of Art]()