MAG — Alto Garda Museum
Riva del Garda
Art and archaeology in the medieval fortress of Riva: the MAG museum traces Lake Garda's Trentino shore from the Neolithic to twentieth-century landscape painters.
A Fortress Museum on the Lake
The MAG, Alto Garda Museum, is housed in the Rocca of Riva del Garda — a medieval fortress bathed by the lake’s waters and protected by a moat — and serves as the cultural hub for the entire Trentino region of Lake Garda. The museum occupies the fortress spaces with an exhibition that alternates between art, archaeology, and history in constant dialogue with the surrounding military architecture.
Art Collections
The art gallery houses works from the 15th to 20th centuries, with a significant collection of landscape painters who between the 18th and 20th centuries chose Lake Garda as their favorite subject. Paintings by Hans Lietzmann, Luigi Bonazza, and German and Austrian vedutists document a lake that has changed less in a century than one might expect. The contemporary art section hosts temporary exhibitions of national and international caliber, often exploring the relationship between art and landscape.
Archaeological Treasures
The archaeological collection includes finds from the pile-dwelling settlements of Lake Ledro — one of the UNESCO sites in the Alpine arc — Roman materials from the municipium of Riva, and a notable collection of stelae and inscriptions that tell the story of the Romanization of the Sarca Valley. Among the most interesting pieces is a series of Bronze Age fibulae and ornaments that document commercial contacts between the Alpine world and the plains.
History and Events
A permanent section is dedicated to the history of the Rocca itself: built in the 12th century by the Prince-Bishops of Trentino, enlarged by the Scaliger and later by the Venetians, the fortress experienced its most dramatic period during World War I, when Riva — the last Austrian outpost on Lake Garda — was bombarded and contested between the two armies. Period photographs show a city in ruins that managed to be reborn within a few decades. The MAG organizes educational workshops for children and young people, thematic guided tours, and a summer series of events in the fortress courtyard, featuring concerts and theatrical performances under the stars. A visit takes approximately 90 minutes. The museum is open Tuesday to Sunday year-round. The Rocca can be reached on foot from Riva’s center in 5 minutes, following the harbor.
