Cùel Zanzanù

Cùel di Zanzanù - Cùel o Covolo del Martelletto

Useful Information

Location:	25080 Valvestino BS. From the main road on the west side of Lago Garda SS45bis turn west at Gargnano on SP9. At the second bridge across Valvestino reservoir turn right on single lane gravel road. From SP9 it’s a 2 km/30 minutes hike, tough you can also drive as far as you dare. (45.7440513, 10.6228560)
Open:	no restrictions. [2024]
Fee:	free. [2024]
Classification:	Karst Cave
Light:	bring torch
Dimension:	W=70 m, L=15 m, H=10 m, A=650 m.
Guided tours:	self guided
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:
Address:	Cùel Zanzanù, Tel: +39-0
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

10-NOV-1606

two comrades of Giovanni Beatrice killed at the cave by bounty hunters.

Description

Cùel Zanzanù (Zanzanù’s Shelter) is also called Cùel il Zanzanù or Cùel del Zanzanù. And it is known as Cùel del Martelletto or Covolo del Martelletto, named after the Corna del Martelletto hill where it is located. Cùel is the local dialect word, covolo north Italian slang, and both describe a rock shelter, in speleology often called an abri, after the French term. Zanzanù is the name of a local bandit who was actually named Giovanni Beatrice. The site is reached on a path named Sentiero del Zanzanù which was lately maintained by the ERSAF of the Lombardy Region. They also placed educational signs about the historical background, unfortunately only in Italian.

In the 17th century Giovanni Beatrice (*1576-✝1617) nicknamed Zanzanù was a famous bandit in the Garda region. He was hunted by the Venetian magistrates and bounty hunters. This cave was according to local lore one of his hideouts. The Beatrice family were merchants and traded goods and had a warehouse in Riva and a nail and grain shop in Gargnano. The smuggling of grain was practiced in the area and the family participated. The Provveditore della Riviera started an in-depth investigation in 1598 to repress the vast smuggling. They accused Giovanni Beatrice to sell the grain in the family warehouse. However, a feud with another family escalated to a fight, and as one of the companions was killed, Giovanni Beatrice and his uncle Giovan Francesco Lima were perpetually banished from all the territories of the Republic. They moved to Lima, and after some time superior of the convent of San Francesco in Gargnano was able to settle the conflict. Unfortunately one member of the other family did not respect the peace and sent hitmen who killed his father. Now the situation escalated and Giovanni Beatrice killed various enemies. The cave was his hideout, but on 10-NOV-1606 they were found by bounty hunters and two of his friend killed. He lived in the hinterland of Garda, earned his living as a brigand, until finally in 1617 when he visited a friend. The population of six villages formed groups of armed men, and cut off the bandits' path. There was a fight and all bandits and numerous villagers died.

The cave is actually a shelter in a cliff face. The layers are horizontal, and two softer layers were eroded by frost erosion, so there are partly two levels of cave, and partly the layer between has collapsed creating one cave twice as high. The cave was used by shepherds, and they erected walls for their livestock. The walls still exist, though partly collapsed.