A photo exhibition in Rovereto tells the story of the city's silk industry

A visual journey into the places and memory of Rovereto’s silk industry: until March 30, 2025, the Museum of the City of Rovereto explores with the photographic exhibition Fili di seta. Visions and Suggestions by Paolo Aldi the city’s deep connection with silk production, an industry that marked the territory and still leaves tangible traces in the city’s architecture and atmosphere. Curated by Paolo Aldi and organized by the Fondazione Museo Civico di Rovereto, promoted by the Municipality of Rovereto, the Vallagarina Community and the ApT of Rovereto Vallagarina Monte Baldo, with the support of the Autonomous Province of Trento and Cassa Rurale AltoGarda - Rovereto, the exhibition presents the latest work of the photographer and visual artist inspired by the history of the city’s silk industry.

The exhibition unfolds through twenty original works, created especially for the exhibition and printed on fine mulberry paper sheets made by a Japanese artisanal paper mill. The images, suspended inches from the walls, seem to float in space, enriched by woven silk threads that recall the deep historical ties between Rovereto and its silk tradition. Each work takes the form of an authentic “visual archive,” in which photographs, historical documents and symbols of the local silk tradition blend harmoniously with present-day images. These visual collages evoke the essence of an area whose tradition lives on in the present.

The exhibition thus unfolds on two distinct but complementary planes. On the one hand, the artistic one, with photographic collages of images that tell the story of silk in Rovereto and create a dialogue between past and present; on the other, the documentary one, where photographs fix architectural and hydraulic details still present in the urban fabric, witnesses of the ancient silk industry.

The exhibition is aimed at a wide and varied audience, from citizens to tourists, from students to art enthusiasts. Everyone can find in this initiative a cue to reconnect with the city’s past and deepen their knowledge of a heritage that continues to live on through its material and cultural traces.

A permanent room to celebrate silk

The Museo della Città, located on Via Calcinari, in front of which ran the Roggia Piccola, the former trading house of the Sichart family, proves to be a symbolic place, perfectly in tune with the narrative of the historical and cultural legacy of silk production in Rovereto.

In addition to the temporary exhibition, the Museo della Città houses a permanent room on the second floor dedicated to Rovereto’s silk industry. Here visitors can discover artifacts, historical evidence, artwork and interactive materials documenting the entire silk production process, from its naturalistic to its industrial aspects. The exhibit provides an understanding of the profound impact this activity had on the economic and social life of Rovereto and its inhabitants.

The “Silk Square” project: enhancing the local heritage

The experience related to the silk tradition is not limited to the exhibition. The Piazza della Seta project, coordinated by ApT Rovereto Vallagarina e Monte Baldo, of which the Fondazione Museo Civico is a part, enriches the cultural offer with a series of events organized around four thematic paths: create, explore, re-discover, weave. Among the proposed activities are guided tours of spinning mills, walks and innovative workshops that combine craftsmanship, creativity and new technologies. Participants can immerse themselves in urban treks and tours with tastings to discover key silk sites in Rovereto.

For info: https://bit.ly/natale-di-seta

A photo exhibition in Rovereto tells the story of the city's silk industry

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