of San Giovanni Battista, and the Civic Tower (or Clock Tower). Outside the centre of town there are Roman ruins of Fornaci, the Abbazia di Maguzzano, Drugolo Castle, the churches of Madonna di San Martino, San Cipriano, and pieve di San Zeno. The House of the Podestà was built in the second half of the 15th century as seat of the representative of Venetian Republic, who controlled the region for more than 350 years (1441-1796). Only briefly, was Lonato under Mantuan rule under Francesco II Gonzaga (1509–1516). After Napoleon Bonaparte granted the Venetian domains to the Austrians, the Podestà House was used by the Austrians as barracks; later it became a property of the comune of Lonato, under which it fell into disrepair. The building was auctioned in public in 1906, and bought by Ugo da Como and his wife Maria Glisenti, who, conscious of the historical importance, called the architect A. Tagliaferri to restore it. As was fashionable in his time, they furnished the house, and today the extensive collections, including the library, 405 incunabula (one of the most important collection in Italy), 470 manuscripts and rare illuminated codes, parchments and prints. It also contains one of the smallest books in the world, 15x9 mm, which reproduces the letter by Galileo Galilei to Cristina di Lorena. In addition, it holds manuscripts letters by Ugo Foscolo to his lover Marzia Martinengo, written in 1807-1809. The Rocca of Lonato surmounts a hill dominating the southern side of Lake Garda. The southern slope shelters the historical centre of Lonato, the limits of which, today, borders the Padana lowlands. The fortification's irregular form reveals a central structure almost 180 meters in length and approximately 45 metres in width. It is composed of two structures at different levels: the Rocca in the upper part and, lower down, what is called the General Quarters. Despite the long domination by the Visconti and Scaligeri families, the walled embankment, built in large morenic rocks, carries Guelph merlons. In all probability, Lonato's castle was first built around the year 1000 when fortifications were raised around the area against the invasion of the barbarians. Its architectural design closely follows the standards of the 15th and 16th centuries when it was rebuilt by the Visconti family of Milan. After passing from the Gonzaga domination to Venice, then back to the Gonzaga and again to Venice, the castle passed to the