Goethe in Malcesine
A documentary exhibition conceived by the Casa di Goethe, Rome in cooperation with the city of Malcesine
"I could have been in Verona tonight but there was still a magnificent vision of nature nearby that I did not want to miss - the delicious spectacle of Lake Garda - and I was amply rewarded for my detour ."
Italian Journey, 12 September. Afternoon
J.W. Goethe, Castello di Malcesine, 1786
Klassik Stiftung Weimar
During his famous journey to Italy, a strong and sudden wind on Lake Garda forces Johann Wolfgang Goethe on 13 September 1786 to spend some time in Malcesine.
He is fascinated by the Castello Scaligero and looks out for a quiet place in order to draw the castle. Some inhabitants believe him an Austrian spy and the poet is almost arrested. In Goethe's Italian Journey you can read this anectode, which has contributed to the village's fame. Today Malcesine is one of the major tourist attractions of Lake Garda.
Since 1983 some rooms of the castle have been dedicated to the village's first important visitor. Goethe's drawings of Malcesine belong to the Klassik Stiftung Weimar.
Casa di Goethe and the Comune di Malcesine have been cooperating for some years. Several exhibitions from the museum's collection have been on show at Lake Garda. In 2004 the Casa di Goethe created the documentary exposition for the Goethe room and is thus permantly present in Malcesine. Information in three languages is given on Goethe's Italian Journey and his impressions of Lake Garda.
Goethe room
Temporary exhibit
Goethe in Malcesine. Publication (Italian, German or English), 40 pages, various illustrations, € 6,00.
www.comunemalcesine.it Goethe. It informs on Goethe's journey to Italy and his stay at Lake Garda.
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