Some places become destinations long before tourism even has a name. Lake Garda is one of them. This Lake Garda exhibition at MuSa Salò (BS) explores the era when the lake first captivated Europe’s cultural elite — artists, botanists, and writers drawn by its unique light and climate. What began as a journey of study and sketches soon transformed into a legacy, as these early travelers helped shape the very identity of the lake we admire today.
From 26th April to 4th October 2026, the MuSa – Museum of Salò presents TOURIST! The Charm of Travel on Lake Garda between Romanticism and the Belle Époque, an exhibition dedicated to the years in which Lake Garda captured the imagination of European travelers.
Curated by Paolo Boifava, Director of MuSa, together with Maria Paola Pasini of Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore – OTG, the exhibition traces the changing relationship between the lake and those who came to discover it, spend time there and make it part of their lives.
The Making of a Destination: Discovery, Presence and Trasformation
The first travelers came with a strong sense of curiosity. Painters and writers recorded the shoreline, the villages, the vegetation and the atmosphere of the lake. Their watercolours, drawings and notes show a Garda that still felt intimate, wilder and less touched by the modern world, and only gradually opening itself to an international public.
Over time, the nature of travel evolved. By the late 19th century and into the Belle Époque, Lake Garda was no longer only a place to visit, but a place where people stayed for weeks or even months. Families from Central and Northern Europe spent long seasons along its shores, embracing a slower rhythm of daily life: walks by the water, elegant cafés, sunset concerts, gardens, reading rooms and refined social gatherings.
This growing presence began to change the landscape. Panoramic paths appeared along the hillsides. Villas were built above the water. Gardens reflected international tastes. Hotels, cultural venues and new social habits became part of local life. Lake Garda became more cosmopolitan while preserving the qualities that had first attracted travelers to it.
The signs of that period are still evocative: international communities, places of worship, cultural institutions and German-language publications such as Der Bote vom Gardasee, which recorded the life of a society gathered around the lake.
The Visual and Material Soul of the Exhibition
For those who love Lake Garda, the exhibition TOURIST! brings this history to life through an extraordinary collection of visual and material treasures. Delicate watercolors and drawings capture views that have long since vanished, while early photographs and postcards document the birth of modern travel as they once circulated between Lake Garda and the great capitals of the world—from Vienna, Munich, and Berlin to St. Petersburg and New York.
The true magic, however, lies in the personal objects of leisure: elegant fans, travel cases, vintage painter’s boxes, and refined period clothing. These small, everyday items speak of a vanished way of traveling, one defined by grace, slowness, and an exquisite attention to detail.
It is a passionate, at times poignant narrative of Lake Garda’s most sophisticated era. It captures the moment when travel was not merely movement, but a deep, transformative encounter between the visitor and the landscape that welcomed them. This unrepeatable season of the Lake Garda Belle Époque is brought back to light by MuSa with depth and a genuine sense of wonder..
Practical information
🎨 Exhibition: TOURIST! The Charm of Travel on Lake Garda between Romanticism and the Belle Époque
📍 Where: MuSa – Museum of Salò
🌐 www.museodisalo.it
📅 Dates: 26 April – 4 October 2026
👤 Curated by: Paolo Boifava and Prof. Maria Paola Pasini, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore – OTG
With thanks to Professor Maria Paola Pasini, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore – OTG, for sharing the exhibition materials and images.
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