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Tourist information - Riva del garda
The area of Riva and its surroundings have revealed through many archaeological finds a human presence since the Neolithic (Bronze-Iron Age). In Roman times, the north-west corner of Lake Garda was inhabited by the Fabia Tribe. Later on Riva was ruled by Goths, Longobards and Franks and was controlled in succession by the Bishops of Trento (12th cent.), the Scaligeri (1262-1387), the Visconti of Milan (1388-1402), the Counts of Tyrol and the Republic of Venice (1441-1509). In 1521 Riva was incorporated into the Episcopal Principality of Trento. In 1703, during the Spanish Succession War, it was attacked by the French General Vendome. In 1796 the town was occupied by Napoleonic troops, in 1806 linked to Bavaria and immediately after to the Italian Kingdom. In 1815 Riva was subjected to the rule of Austria where it remained until 1918.
With the growth of trade and commerce between Italy and Germany, Riva developed into an important commercial centre ruled by statutes which are the oldest law-codes in Trentino (1274). Raw materials flowed in through the lake to be manufactured into goods in the factories that sprang up close to the harbour. The town became a major warehousing centre between Germany and Italy for materials waiting to be manufactured and finished goods waiting to be transported north. Tourism is now the most important and profitable industry and began to develop in the early 19th century when Riva was already well known to high society and the middle class of central Europe. It was visited by learned men such as Franz Kafka, Max Brod, Friedrich Nietzsche and Thomas Mann.
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