 The creation of the villages of Valeggio and Borghetto dates to the Lombard rule in Northern Italy because their names derive from 'flat place' and 'fortified settlement' respectively.The monastery of Santa Maria was founded here, on the banks of the Mincio, in the 12th century; later it was a priory of the Knights Templar.The large medieval fortifications which characterize Valeggio (Scaliger castle, the Visconti Bridge and the Serraglio defensive line) were built between the 13th and the 14th centuries.