Castelbelforte lies north-east of Mantua.
Its name, till 1867, was “Due Castelli” - id est, Two Castles -, because of two fortresses, whose names were “Castrum Belforte” and “Castrum Bonefitio”, standing on Essere canal banks, and torn down in 1717.
San Biagio parish church, which has a neo-classical façade, hosts a painting by Lorenzo Costa il Vecchio (XV century).
In XVIII century cadastral maps, the village is made of two hamlets: Castelbonafisso (today, Forte San Paolo) and Castelbelforte (today, the village centre). Essere canal was the border between the hamlets, as it was before the border between Mantua and Verona territories. In XVIII century, there were also two parishes: San Paolo, which is today a civil building, and San Biagio, which is today the only parish.
Today's church, inaugurated in 1857, hosts XVIII century paintings and XX century frescoes.
Still, you may visit the ancient Parolara church, reconstructed in XVIII century, the XVI century Cort'Alta church, and San Giorgio in Cortingolfo church, where the Capuchins lived.
Some archaeological finds show that the Etruscans already lived here in 1000 b.C.; then the Gauls arrived and, in 189 b.C., it was up to the Romans. But the village grew only between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, when the Gonzaga family made it an important fortress, because of its strategical position.