La Rocca, built around 1278 by Mastino I della Scala, lord of Verona, probably on the remains of a Roman fortification. Thanks to its territorial border location, it becomes the nerve center of the Scaliger system of defense and control of the Garda chessboard and its dock, still in perfect condition, represents a rare case of fortification intended for port use. The walls and the three massive main towers are characterized by dovetail battlements, characteristic of the Scaliger buildings; behind these three towers emerges the imposing keep, 47 meters high, under which the cells intended for prisoners were located. About a century later, two courtyards and an independent fortification, connected by a barbican to the main one, were added to increase the defenses of the fortress. In 1405 Venice annexed Sirmione to its Republic and began a work of strengthening the walls and enlarging the now obsolete Scaligeri docks. The dock is also defended by towers which, however, unlike those inside the castle, do not have dovetail battlements. On one side of the dock there is an external moat that flows directly into the lake. The current appearance was defined during the restoration carried out between 1917 and 1935. The visit of the mighty manor, completely surrounded by water, provides for access to the courtyards through an internal portico where a Roman and medieval lapidary is set up and, passing the drawbridge that leads to the second enclosure, the possibility of climbing the keep and the walkways of the walls from which you can admire the suggestive dock, the ancient refuge of the Scaliger fleet, and a beautiful panorama.