SETTING THE AGENDA
The Cultural Scene - from Castles to Cutting-edge Museums and the Centenary of the
First World War
It’s set to be an exciting summer, with the Centenary of the Great War dominating the
calendar of events in museums, forts - and even on the mountains themselves.
In honour of the anniversary, war museums have been revamped and forts have been
restored. Trentino marked the southernmost flank of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and
the forts were a bulwark against enemies, including the Allied Forces in the First World
War. These military sites are the setting for commemorative exhibitions staged not just
this year, but planned over the coming five years. Related events also take place in key
art museums.
Beyond the anniversary, Trentino’s two main cities have great cultural appeal and a rich
calendar of events. Last summer, Trento pulled off a coup in creating MUSE, a visionary
Science Museum, designed by Renzo Piano, an equally visionary architect. The museum is
increasingly popular and continues to win plaudits, as does the city itself (see Release 11).
And the city castle, one of the loveliest in Italy, is staging a Renaissance art exhibition.
Rovereto, the second city, already has its landmark Modern Art Museum, the MART, with
enthralling exhibitions, including a forthcoming look at the Great War. The wartime legacy is
also commemorated in Rovereto’s War Museum, which has been revamped (see below).
What’s more, the erstwhile rivals are easily linked through a city pass that covers museums,
castles, wine estates and transport in both cities and beyond. There’s also a new pass, the
Guest Card Trentino which covers key attractions and public transport (see factbox below).
But some of Trentino’s most beguiling events are in the mountains, including in the
mountains. The major summer festival, the Sounds of the Dolomites encapsulates all that’s
special about the region – the mountains, music, walking – and even the war trails. .
Trentino is also castle country. Trentino has been a borderland since the times of the
Roman Empire. Under Trento’s powerful prince-bishops, Gothic castles were often revamped
in graceful Renaissance style. Given its Mitteleuropean heritage, Trentino also bristles with
Austro-Hungarian forts on mountain ridges. The historical legacy embraces dreamy lakeside
castles, crenellated strongholds on rocky spurs, and Austrian forts, complete with casemates
and communication trenches. Many castles can be visited, whether converted into museums,
wine estates, romantic restaurants, or the setting for concerts and historical re-enactments.
TOP TRENDS
➼ The Centenary of the First World War - evoked in exhibitions and events
➼ The centrality of castles and forts to the Trentino story
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➼ Enlightened, visitor-centred museums, such as MUSE and the MART
➼ Joined up thinking: new tourism pass and success of others (see Release 1)
THE HOT LIST
➼ Centenary of the First World War
The Centenary provides a focus for a wartime legacy that refuses to fade away. This former
Austrian-Italian front stretched up towards the lofty Marmolada glacier and witnessed “the
white war” in which thousands of troops fought blindly amidst impenetrable snow and ice. The
theme is particularly poignant as not only was Trentino on the frontline but also found itself in
the Austrian, not Italian, camp. The conflict is commemorated not just in the forts, but in
impressive war museums, memorials and walking trails. The Sounds of the Dolomites
festival features several musical trails linked to the forts (see Release 6). The restoration of
Trentino forts, trenches and monuments is well underway, linked to the Centenary
➼ Forts as popular visitor attractions
Recognised as great feats of engineering, Trentino boasts 80 Habsburg forts, many of which
have been restored. The forts were built during the Austro-Hungarian Empire, from the 1860s
onwards. Between 1914-18 the Trentino forts witnessed the fiercest fighting, with huge losses
on both sides. Today, impressive museum-forts, such as Forte Belvedere or Forte
Pozzacchio, can be explored, linked to walking trails. Trentino forts (29 of them) have been
nominated as candidates for Unesco World Heritage Site status (see Release 5).
➼ Rovereto’s Italian War Museum
The Museo Storico Italiano della Guerra has been revamped, with new itineraries in
freshly-restored sections that have just re-opened. Set in the heart of Rovereto, the War
Museum occupies an imposing 15th-century castle, rebuilt under Venetian rule (1416-1509). A
new route around the museum reveals the fully-restored castle keep, the towers,
passageways, battlements and embrasures. There is a permanent exhibition on the Great War
but a new exhibition focuses on 16th and 17th century military heritage (see “Top Exhibitions”
below). The castle-museum is the centerpiece of a local war trail that takes in the
neighbouring hill where the Peace Bell tolls daily in memory of the Fallen - it was cast in
bronze from cannon from all the warring sides. (see Releases 4-5, as well as
www.museodellaguerra.it and www.trentinograndeguerra.it).
➼ The popularity of MUSE, Trento’s Science Museum
The Science Museum is rooted in the Dolomites, presenting glaciers and extreme Alpine
experiences as part of its remit. With its jagged, futuristic forms, even the design of the
building seems like a tribute to the surrounding mountains. Yet its grander ambition is to
reposition Trento as a dynamic cultural and scientific centre on the world stage. The museum
is at the heart of a new urban park, residential and entertainment zone set to reshape the city.
Museum Director, Michele Lanzinger describes the museum as “interactive, attractive and
memorable. It celebrates our planet, in all its complexity, and focuses on the means needed to
save it, a realisation that has only slowly dawned on humankind” (see www.muse.it)
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TOP EXHIBITIONS & EVENTS
Trento Economics Festival, Trento, 30 May to 2 June 2014
This surprisingly popular economics festival attracts world names. Ralf Dahrendorf says:
“When I say I’ve attended an economics festival that’s attracted an audience of over 50,000,
people laugh at me. But this Trento festival is unique” (see 2014.festivaleconomia.eu).
Rinascimenti Eccentrici – Castello del Buonconsiglio, 12 July to 2 November 2014.
(“Renaissance Eccentrics – Dosso Dossi at Trento’s Buonconsiglio Castle”)
The exhibition focuses on Dosso Dossi, an often underrated Renaissance artist and chief
court painter at the d’Este Ducal court in Ferrara. Aided by his brother Battista, Dossi produced
magnificent mythological and allegorical works that are often gloriously eccentric. What’s more,
the brothers’ father came from Trento, and the artists worked on the rich decoration of
Buonconsiglio Castle. Frescoed masterpieces by the Dossi brothers adorn key rooms and are
the setting for paintings here on display from Italian and international collections. Unrelated to
the exhibition, but on permanent display in the castle are wonderful medieval frescoes, known
as the “Cycle of the Months” (see www.buonconsiglio.it).
Lost in Landscape, the MART, Rovereto, until 31 August 2014
The MART, Rovereto’s Modern and Contemporary Art Museum, is staging this intriguing
landscape exhibition, curated by Gerardo Mosquera. The theme looks at the modern-day
relationship between man and nature, including the rural and urban landscapes. Works by over
60 international artists illustrate the theme. The museum’s masterpieces range from Futurist
and Metaphysical works to Pop Art and portraits (see www.mart.trento.it).
Centenary of the Great War from 4 October 2014 to September 2015. These exhibitions
are staged in Rovereto, and run by the MART, in conjunction with the Italian Historical
War Museum:
“The coming war is not the first. The Great War 1914-18”, 4 October 2014 to September
2015, the MART, Rovereto
This key war exhibition ranges over the conflict, looking at highly visual themes that are
relevant to a modern audience. One key theme is the way that the conflict dragged us into the
modern world, fostering new means of communication, including film and photography, which,
in turn, were used to shape and record the conflict (and future conflicts). War propaganda is
central to the exhibition, and showcased through an array of posters, postcards, songs and
writings. Also on display are war diaries, penned by soldiers and civilians, and evocative
images from film and photography (see Release 4).
Castelli, Armi e Soldati 1500-1700, Museo Storico Italiano della Guerra, Rovereto from 19
April 2014 (“Castles, Arms and Soldiers 1500-1700”, Italian War Museum, Rovereto)
The wartime legacy is remembered in Rovereto’s newly-restored War Museum (see above).
Founded in the wake of the First World War, the permanent castle collection is particularly
strong on that period, even if this current exhibition focuses on 16th and 17th century military
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heritage. The exhibition reflects the wealth of the permanent castle collection, which includes
weapons and firearms of every description (from duelling swords to shotguns) as well as
armour, military uniforms and gunpowder kegs (see www.museodellaguerra.it).
“Areonatura”, MAG Museo Alto Garda, Riva del Garda, until 2 November 2014
Subtitled “Tullio Pericoli’s gaze on the Alto Garda landscape,” this art exhibition focuses on
local landscapes around Lake Garda, as seen from on high – through the eyes of artist Tullio
Pericoli. The exhibition features artworks inspired from aerial photographs of the lakeside
landscape. The area covered is the northern part of Lake Garda, from Valle dei Laghi sloping
down to the shore at Riva del Garda. In the autumn, the exhibition continues with artworks
(oils, watercolours and sketches) inspired by these views (see www.museoaltogarda.it)
Artesella, Val di Sella, Borgo Valsugana
Expect contemporary art in a natural setting. This free-flowing, open-air exhibition combines a
forest trail with constantly changing “natural” works of art – the raw materials have mostly
come from the forest. On 28 August, the Arte Sella also hosts a “Sounds of the Dolomites”
concert (see www.artesella.it)
The Sounds of the Dolomites - music in the mountains in summer
The Dolomites, Unesco World Heritage treasures, are the stage-set for these open-air concerts
in July and August. The background to these concerts is, quite literally, the surrounding slopes
and sites connected with the Great War (see Release 6).
DESTINATION DOLOMITES
Trentino website: consult www.visittrentino.it/en for more on museums, castles, wine estates, along with other
attractions and events, including contact details.
TRENTINO APPS: the Trentino Tourist Guide app lets you access a range of services on your Smartphone or
Tablet, including what to do. The ARound Trentino app also helps you track down restaurants and attractions.
Download the apps free on: www.visittrentino.it/en/mobile.
Tourism passes: the new “Guest Card Trentino” and the “TrentoRovereto Card” are two of the most popular
passes in Trentino, but other local passes also tie in with these.
Guest Card Trentino: this new pass covers key attractions (many museums, castles, parks, five spas, several
natural wonders) and public transport for the duration of your stay. Issued free from participating hotels or
available from tourist offices for €40 per person per week. The card runs from April to November. There is also a
family version. For more information see www.visittrentino.it/en/trentinoguestcard
TrentoRovereto Card: this city pass, available all year round, covers museums and castles in Rovereto and
Trento, as well as urban transport (including trains) in the area in the same period. The card is available from
tourist offices and museums and costs €20 per person. It runs for 48 hours, but the museum segment can be
extended to three months for no extra charge, see www.trentorovereto.it.
MEDIA RELATIONS
Tel. 0039 0461 219375 - Fax 0039 0461 219402
trentinostampa@visittrentino.it