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Riva del Garda
The Town, the Rocca, the Towers
What better end to a walk through the historic centre of Riva del Garda than a visit up to the Apponale tower and the Mastio della Rocca. The two towers provide visitors with a breathtaking view of both the town and the lake.
| The Town A great number of archaeological findings testify that Riva and its surroundings were already inhabited in the Neolithic period (Bronze and Iron Ages). At that time, the region certainly belonged to the Fabia tribe from Brescia. The first offical document mentioning Riva is a Carolingian diploma dating back to 933. In the 13 th century, after having been ruled by Trento's bishops for a long time, the Upper Garda fell under the dominion of the Della Scala family (1262-1387), then of the Visconti family from Milan (1388-1402), of the Earls of Tyrol and, finally, of Venice (1411-1509). In 1521, under Bernardo Clesio, the city carne back into the hands of Trento's Church; in 1703 it was devastated by the French army led by general Vendôme, in 1796 was occupied by Napoleon's troops, in 1806 was annexed to Bavaria and in 1810 became part of the Kingdom of Italy, Afterwards, it was occupied again by Austria and, then, definitively annexed to the Kingdom of Italy after the First World War (1915-1918). |
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| The "Rocca" The Rocca of Riva del Garda was built in the 12th century following an agreement reached between the prince-bishop of Trento, Altemanno, and the citizens of Riva. In the 14th century, under the reign of the Scaligeri, the Venetian lords of Lake Garda, it underwent a great phase of rebuilding, coming to resemble the typical structure of the fortified buildings in the Lake area, such as those found in Lasize, Peschiera and Sirmione. To this day, that architectural vision may still be seen in its four corner towers, of which one is taller than the others and looks over the lake, and with an internal courtyard. It is currently home to the Museum, with its permanent sections on archaeology, history and the art gallery, as well as a temporary exhibition display area. |
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The Towers "Apponale" This construction, built towards 1200 according to the documentation, is a short, embattled tower, characterized by a door once at ground level and raised in 1555. It is 34 metres hing plus 3-4 metres below ground. It was a bulwark of the city and was probably called Apponale because it defended the port "a Apponale". At its feet there were warehouses for salt and wheat, stores and the exchange banks of the Florentines. The building was first used as a prison and then as an observation post during the First World War. |
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The Museum
A precious collection of paintings and important archaeological finds are preserved in the Museum of Riva del Garda, in the rooms of the Rocca, an ancient medieval fortress by the water’s edge.
The museum is characterised by its research work and the prominence it gives to heritage matters. Every year it puts on exhibitions of collections, artistic events, to discover the rich and ancient patrimony of the local area.
| Archaeology of the Upper Garda Region The exhibition features one of the most important archaeological collections on a provincial level, featuring the most significant findings from a particularly rich territory home to ancient settlements. The exhibition opens with the important stele statues dating back to the Copper Age, and follows with the ‘palafitte’ lake dwellings, bearing traces of the Roman Era and the Dark Ages. |
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Men of stone: the statue stelae |
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| Art Gallery The collection is dedicated to the artistic culture of the Garda territory between the 15th and 19th centuries thus documenting its characteristic features, being a border territory and thus subjected to a great number of different influences. The works demonstrate the passage from figurative religious art to the landscape and portrait painting of the 19th century. The artists include Pietro Ricchi, Francesco Hayez, Vincenzo Vela and Giuseppe Canella. |
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Villa de Lutti
The 19th century in Riva del Garda was characterised by great cultural ferment, thanks to the presence of the Trentine man of letters Andrea Maffei (1798 - 1885), whose ability as a translator, critic and collector went far beyond the limited provincial borders to open up a little more European scope. He was involved in the movement that set out to break the moulds of classical celebratory painting and sculpture which paved the way to the creation of masterpieces of artistic maturity such as those of Francesco Hayez and Vincenzo Vela.
After having set up a literary circle in Milan, which included many of the key artists and men of culture of the day, in 1851 he rented lodgings in Riva del Garda, coming into close contact with the de Lutti family, to whom he donated his great art collection made up “...of over 140 oil paintings, many of which of great value given their age or the name of the artist, and all of great beauty…”. The works on display here all belong to that collection, including the Portrait of Andrea Maffei by Michele Gordigiani (1830 - 1903), the two paintings by Francesco Hayez (1791 - 1882) along with the Addolorata and the Portrait of Clara Maffei, the View of Riva del Garda by Ambrogio Fermini (1811 - 1883) and the sculpture depicting the Orante by Vincenzo Vela (1820 - 1891).
Andrea Maffei had asked to be buried in the private chapel of Villa de Lutti, a delightful example of architecture from the Risorgimento period, designed by the architect Antonio Negrin Caregaro (1821 - 1981) and commissioned by Vincenzo de Lutti, father of the poet Francesca.
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| The lake, its people and the ages As time goes by, the bonds between people and a given space make a deep, visible mark on the territory. The search for the signs of this millennium-long passage across the lake and along its shores provides the focus for this section, fruit of the work of the historical-archaeological department. |
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Temporary Exhibitions
Il lago di carta.The Garda territory as shown in historical cartography (14th-19th centuries) 27th March - 26th June 2011 A guided tale that unfolds from between the end of the 14th century right up to the mid-19th century revolving around the area of Lake Garda. The exhibition itinerary features a wide range of maps and drawings of the territory along with the tools adopted by the earliest mapmakers. The Garda territory is then represented in as it is seen in the modern age. There is also a photographic display conversing with these historical images, offering splendid views of the landscape from a contemporary viewpoint. |
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| Alessandro Oppi 10th July - 30th October 2011 In August 1910, the young photographer from Bologna Alessandro Oppi undertook a journey around Lake Garda, starting out from Desenzano, tracing the entire western coast until he reached Riva and Torbole, only to then return to his starting point down the western shore, passing through Peschiera and Sirmione. His aim was to use his "Zeiss Palma" camera to document the places, people and natural beauty of the Garda area in order to enter the competition entitled "Illustrazione di una determinata regione" (“Illustration of a particular region”), held by the Bolognese Photography Circle, which Oppi was later to win with flying colours. The exhibition will feature more than 200 of these photographs, preserved by the family of the Bolognese photographer, which to today’s gaze – so used to rapidly modified landscapes – offer enchanting snapshots of the places, lands and people to be found along the banks of Lake Garda, captured at the start of those sweeping changes that were to characterise the rest of the 20th century. |
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Entrance
2 euro
Free Admission
to 18 years and over 65 years
Students and teachers
Journalists
Disabled persons and accompanying persons
Opening times
10.00 - 12.30 / 13.30 - 18.00
from March to November
closed on Mondays
open every day in July, August and September
