The castle is the building that characterizes the appearance of the city of Desenzano whether you see it appearing coming from the hinterland, whether you look at it from the port or, far away, from the lake.

At the end of the fifteenth century the castle, which originated in the early Middle Ages and probably rose on the foundations of a Roman castrum, was enlarged in the southern part, but never became a military fortress, even if the enlargement was made to house a garrison.It continued to perform above all the function of refuge for the population.

Inside the castle there continued to be homes of private citizens ready to welcome, in case of danger, those who lived outside the walls of it.
Subsequently, the castle gradually lost its function as a refuge, continuing to be inhabited by families, even if its deterioration, for almost the entire nineteenth century, proceeded increasingly serious. In the castle there was also a church, the church of S. Ambrogio, which was used as a private house.
The plan of the castle is that of an irregular rectangle, with the tower that rises at the entrance, on the north side, to protect the drawbridge, of which the slits for the chains are preserved. It is a massive tower with windows only at the top.
In 1882 the castle was used as a barracks, first seat of an infantry garrison, then of Bersaglieri and finally of Alpini from the thirties until 1943.
The old castle, although devoid of particular architectural beauties, apart from the facade, is endowed with undoubted historical interest and scenographic charm.
Of the ancient castle there are some sections of curtain walls with crumbling merlons between the four cut off corner towers, with the exception of the one on the north-east corner which, until 1940, functioned as a viewing window.
From its terrace you can enjoy one of the most beautiful views of Lake Garda.