ROVERETO PAST AND PRESENT

Set between Trento and Verona, not far from Lake Garda, Rovereto is a prosperous art town, thriving with theatrical events, boasting a well-preserved historical center and two important modern art venues.

A wealthy commercial hub close to the Adige River, surrounded by the vineyards and fertile countryside of Vallagarina Valley, it prospered in the Middle Ages when it was ruled by the Castelbarco family. Under Venetian rule in 1416 – that’s when the Castle was built, in 1509 it was acquired by Maximilian I of Austria. The heyday of Rovereto was the 18th century when it became an important silk manufacturing center.

Conquered by Napoleon, it was then given back to the Habsburg and became part of Italy only in 1918.
We’ll start our morning tour – you can come from Trento or Verona by train – exploring the picturesque alleyways and squares, dotted with old irresistible artisans’ shops. Your guide will sketch the history of this town and slowly walk you to the Leno River, just outside the city center, a for a brief visit to the scenic Castle, a massive bulk enshrining one of the largest and most interesting war museums in Italy. Rovereto Museum of War focuses principally on World War I and contains an incredible and unique variety of items.

A visit to Rovereto’s old center won’t be complete without a stop at Casa Depero, a jewel artist’s home.
You’ll be captured by the bizarre, cheerful, utopic atmosphere of this house, designed by the indefatigable phantasy of Fortunato Depero (1892-1960), one of the major exponents of the Futuristic Movement. Furniture, costumes, objects, textiles, puppets, posters, conceived by the creativity of the artist in a highly personalized modern style, will fill your eyes with colors and stimulate your own artistic inventiveness.

After lunch we proceed to the MART, the Museum of Modern Art, whose luminous architecture, with the great Piazza hovered by a huge steel dome opened to the sky, is reputed to be one of the most outstanding examples of contemporary architectures (2002). The co-authors: Swiss architect Mario Botta and Roveretan engineer Giulio Andreolli drew thei inspiration for the main cupola from the great dome of the Pantheon.

Visitors like lingering by the fountain in the large Piazza under the iconic transparent Dome, and the whole area has turned to be, no doubt, one the most welcoming meeting points of Rovereto. The spacious interiors are conceived to host both permanent collections and temporary exhibits.

Starting with the birth of modernity in sculpture (Medardo Rosso) and painting (Giacomo Balla and Umberto Boccioni) to continue with the ‘Magic Realism’ Movement (Felice Casorati, Cagnaccio di San Pietro) to the return to classicism with Giorgio de Chirico and Massimo Campigli. The permanent exhibition goes on with more experimental works by the Futurists (Giacomo Balla, Carlo Carra’, Fortunato Depero, Luigi Russolo), concluding with the birth of Italian Abstract Art in the 1930s (Alberto Magnelli, Bruno Munari, Mauro Reggiani, Fausto Melotti).

To end our ROVERETO, PAST AND PRESENT tour in style we suggest a 15-minute car ride to the nearby Vallagarina, where, surrounded by verdant hills and by the geometry of luscious vineyards we could taste a glass of Marzemino red wine. A pleasant day to round up our day in Rovereto, a gentle city in harmony with its present and with its past.