Next Monday, May 20th, the Ateneo di Salò will open its doors to the public to celebrate its 460th birthday. The event will take place at the Salotto della Cultura on Leonesio Street and will include a series of cultural activities.
The program will begin at 3pm with the official opening of the venue, followed by a guided tour of the Ateneo’s library and archive. At 4:30pm, there will be a concert for voice and piano featuring pianist Gerardo Chimini and sopranos Luisa Bentivoglio and Cristina Klein. The event will also include the presentation of the recently acquired Pasini collection.
The Ateneo di Salò, currently presided over by Andrea Crescini, is one of the oldest cultural institutions in Lake Garda and the surrounding regions of Lombardy, Veneto, and Trentino. Officially founded on December 25th, 1810 by decree, the Ateneo is considered the direct heir of the Accademia degli Unanimi, established in Salò on May 20th, 1564 by the writer Giuseppe Meio (or Milio), known as Voltolina, along with 18 other young people.
The Ateneo’s library houses an exceptional collection of over 25,000 volumes. Among them are manuscripts dating back to the 13th century, codices, incunabula, and 16th-century prints by the printer Paganino Paganini in Messaga (Toscolano). In addition, the archives preserve historical documents of the Magnifica Patria.
Illustrious names have contributed to keeping the cultural tradition of the Ateneo di Salò alive. These include Gabriele d’Annunzio, architect Giancarlo Maroni, Ugo da Como, sculptor Angelo Zanelli, scientist Emilio Bianchi, painter Angelo Landi, and many other eminent figures in the arts and sciences.
Italian Version
