Mozart Festival

Mozart's first concert in Italy was performed in Rovereto, so it seems the perfect place for an annual festival to honor the great composer. Located just northeast of Lake Garda, the city is avant-garde with a host of museums, including a notable contemporary art gallery called MART. The city is bustling and a cultural oasis for the Garda area.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is probably the world's most recognizable name in classic music, and the composer came to Rovereto in 1769 to perform at the Palazzo Todeschi-Micheli, now dubbed Casa Mozart, and captured northern Italy's imagination with his music. For thirty years, the city of Rovereto has organized an annual fete that is not just a classical concert, but a two-week event that includes exhibits, art, workshops, lectures, flash mobs, games and...of course...music! It seeks to explore the role of music in society as not just entertainment but also as an essential cultural and educational element. They examine how music is a means of communication that transcends all boundaries, using young talent as well as seasoned professionals.

The events surrounding the festival are held in various venues throughout the city, including the piazzas, palaces, theaters, and the airy modern atrium of the MART gallery. The Giardino Bridi de Probizer is a special venue, as well, with its Tempio dell'Armonia (Temple of Harmony) dedicated to Mozart and other composers, in the manicured garden of the Bridi family villa. There are special events for kids, to make music fun and accessible to them, too!

The last part of April and first part of May is when the festival takes place, so if you love Mozart, you'll want to plan your visit to Lake Garda to coincide with this special musical event! The festival is billed as WAM Festival Internazionale Mozart (WAM, of course, being the initials of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart). Visit the official festival website for more information and a calendar of events.