Museums and Monuments
The battlefield today is ideal for a lone or mass visit. It's well worth seeing. Although not as spectacular in terms of scenery as the Rivoli battlefield it is in flat open countryside, and little has changed since 1796. There are no nearby hills or woods and the nearest mountains are away to the north past San Bonifacio. Arcola, like everywhere else, is slowly showing signs of growing and developing, although at the time I was there I could count the number of people I came across on both hands. To the east, where the Alpone runs past the village, you can cross a bridge said to be situated in the same spot as the original wooden one. You can also march along the same dike roads travelled by such celebrities as Napoleon, Massena, Augereau and Metrouski. Roads that don't appear to have been altered since the grand old days of the horse.
In Arcola itself there is a museum dedicated to Napoleon which they opened just for me. This had been arranged over the phone by Una, our ever helpful holiday rep back at Lake Garda. For general interest it's worth seeing and held quite a bit on the 1812 campaign in Russia, but sadly, like the museum at Solferino, it contained very little to do with local battle of 1796. I spent too long in the museum taking dozens of photographs, only later to find I had again used faulty film, something that was to plague me on all my site visits. To make matters worse the camera shop was closed for three hours so, rather than hang around, I decided to find the bridge before it grew dark.
I had been dreaming of seeing the bridge for some time because on the wall in our living room hangs a print of Napoleon leading the charge across and I swore that, one day, I would also cross it. And here I was at Arcola, but where was the bridge? I didn't want to search in the wrong direction as I had at Castiglione and Rivoli, I mentioned it to the Museum Guide who thankfully offered me a lift on the back of his scooter and off we went. It wasn't far from the museum, but in the searing heat I was thankful for the ride, and a few minutes later, I was able to stand on my bridge of dreams. The same bridge that Napoleon, Massena and Augereau had trodden; well, a bridge in the same position anyway. After a few minutes I floated back down to earth and decided to go walkabout.
I should have known better, especially with it being so hot, but I intended to walk the dike road towards Albaredo and Ronco, and then perhaps work my way up to Belfiore di Porcile. I also planned to make notes and draw some sketches of whatever I saw and, if possible, return later to photograph them. Unfortunately, after a few hours walking I found the dike road blocked off just about where Andreossy built his bridge and I had to turn back. As I stumbled back towards Arcola I suddenly felt strange, as if I wasn't alone. It may have been the heat of course, and the fact that I didn't have any water to drink, along with my writer's imagination, but I'm almost certain that I was accompanied by the ghosts of those brave revolutionary soldiers, and perhaps even Napoleon himself. And as I approached Arcola I could imagine how they felt as they advanced into the Austrian guns, perhaps singing to keep their courage up. There was nowhere to hide and nowhere to go. How they managed it I'll never know. Praise is due to the men on both sides who fought along the dikes, exposed as they were. This left an indelible impression and hence 'I'll Never Forget Arcola.'
Re-enactment Potential
Although the surrounding area and marshes are now covered in various crops there is still plenty of room to re-enact the attack on Arcola. Room enough for both the re-enactment and for plenty of spectators without them getting in the way, While I was there the dikes remained almost completely empty and unused. A scenario having the French advance along the road and repulsed by the Austrians would be possible, which could then be followed by the French forcing the Austrians to retreat back to Arcola, There is ample room for artillery and musket fire although cavalry units would have to be careful on the dike road. Considering 1996 is the 200th Anniversary of the battle (and Castiglione and nearby Caldiero) it would be a shame if the N.A. and other interested bodies failed to remember them in some way while it's still possible to do so. I also think there'd be a very positive response from the local council who seemed very keen to help when they opened the museum just for me.
Getting There
I travelled by train from Desenzano to Verona and then to San Bonifacio. From there it was a short taxi ride to Arcola; buses being almost non-existent again, as was all traffic in general while I was there. You could walk from San Bonifacio but I wouldn't recommend it on a hot day. By car you need to head to Verona and then east along the E70 to San Bonifacio, From there it should be easy to find the road south to Arcola. Alternatively, you could travel eastwards from Mantova (Mantua) to Legnago and then work northwards to Albaredo d'Adige and then Arcola.
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