Il lago di carta. The Garda territory as shown in historical cartography (14^th – 19^th centuries)

Curated by Elena Dai Prà and Monica Ronchini

			Starting from 27th March 2011, the rooms of the Riva del Garda Museum will host the exhibition prepared by Elena Dai Prà and Monica Ronchini “The Garda territory as shown in historical cartography (14th – 19th centuries)”, a project produced thanks to the close collaboration between the MAG (Museo Alto Garda) and the Department of Letters, Philosophy and Cultural Heritage of the University of Trento and with the support of both the Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Trento e Rovereto and the Fondazione Cariverona.
Lago di Garda. "I.C. Steinberger fec." Cav. Wolkamer. Norimberga, 1704, Civica Raccolta delle Stampe Achille Bertarelli - Castello Sforzesco, Milano

The exhibition, which brings together ancient charts and maps from a number of different national archives and museums, proposes a Lake Garda itinerary moving back through time. Images of the countryside, of the small settlements and the streams feeding into the lake, views and images of a landscape and an ancient territory which has enchanted travellers throughout history, are to be found here once again in the quite unique form of historical cartography.

Through the study of some 60 precious documents, dating back to between the 14^th and the 19^th centuries along with a display of technical measuring tools from different eras, the idea is to highlight the evolution of techniques and the development of representational skills, the reasons behind the choices of subject, the contexts and fields of production as well as the figures of the great mapmakers themselves. The exhibition also has another fundamental aim: to manage to renew interest in historical cartography as a modern planning tool.

The exhibition will also feature the photographs taken by Pierluigi Faggion as part of his Photographic Itinerary of Lake Garda.