Vittoriale degli Italiani

Museum and theater at Vittoriale degli Italiani
(Gardone Riviera)

The Vittoriale in Gardone Riviera is a complex that includes many buildings, streets, plazas, an open air theater, gardens, and some fountains and streams. The complex was constructed between 1921 and 1938 Brescia in the area of Lake Garda by Gabriele D'Annunzio with the involvement of architect Giancarlo Meloni. The Vittoriale extends approximately 9 hectares and is located on the hills of Gardone Riviera.

Access to the complex is through a monumental entrance composed of a pair of arches above a fountain. After passing through the entry, visitors find the classically-inspired amphitheater built on the model of the one in Pompeii. Continuing toward the Piazzetta Dalmata, one finds the Priory, the home of Gabriele D'Annunzio, now a museum, the towers of the Archives, and finally the little temple to Victory. You may also admire two of the last automobiles owned by D'Annunzio, a Fiat T4 and an Isotta Fraschini. 

The library kept in the rooms of the villa contains approximately 33000 volumes; there are many furnishings and valuable and exotic items collected by the poet. Inside the buildings, there are historic-literary, artistic-architectural, and naturalistic-environmental museum routes, through the rooms and the parks at the monumental complex. Theater and dance events are organized in the theater and various rooms of the facility.