fish pond

Description

According to the verse in Inferno XX 70, Siede Peschiera, bello e forte arnese: it is the place where the waters of Lake Benaco gather and flow out, forming the Mincio. The note to Canto XX clarifies that the basin of the lake is bounded to the east by Garda and to the west by Val Camonica (where the Oglio flows), while to the north-west the Alpine chain rises, from which the Sarca originates. The notes to Canto VIII also recall the image of the blessed souls like fish within a quiet and pure fishpond (peschiera), establishing a figurative connection with this body of water. Peschiera thus represents the stronghold that regulates the passage from Garda to the next watercourse, marking the southern limit of the lake.