Ansa, the last queen of the Lombards, in Sirmione
Did you know that there is a road that goes up the Cortine hill named after the last queen of the Lombards?
There is a road that goes up the Cortine hill that has sleeping views of the eastern shores of the lake. It’s called Ansa after the last unfortunate queen of the Lombards who founded a small monastery in the area. The monastery has long since disappeared, but the remains of the small Church of San Salvatore have survived.
This queen, who watched the supremacy of her people come to an end, had a sad life: her daughter, who was the wife of Charlemagne, was repudiated by him for political reasons and her husband Desiderius and son Adelchis were defeated by the king of the Franks in 774. Her life came to an end in the monastery of San Salvatore, later known as Santa Giulia, in Brescia, which she founded and where she was living with her daughters.
Her name remains linked to the olive trees and waves she loved so much during her happiest years.
