The drawbridge of the Scaligero castle, Sirmione

The Rocca Scaligera guards the only way onto the Sirmione peninsula: the old town sits behind it, and everyone entering crosses its bridge. The castle is unusual in being a harbour fortress — the moat is filled from the lake, and a walled dock inside once sheltered the Scaliger fleet, so there is water on every side of the walls.

The strongest frames are outside the walls, not in. Standing on the piazza in front, the drawbridge, the tower and the swallowtail crenellations stack up behind a couple; from the lakeside walk on the left, the whole castle is reflected in still water with the mountains beyond. Morning light hits the entrance front directly; in the evening the castle turns to a warm silhouette and the floodlights come on, which is the better blue-hour picture.

The piazza is the single busiest square metre on Lake Garda from mid-morning to late evening in summer — that is the real constraint, not the light. Before nine it is nearly empty. Climbing the tower needs a ticket and fixed hours, but nothing that matters here is inside, so a shoot can be planned entirely around the free outside spaces.