Few people know that in Malcesine, on the shores of Lake Garda, there is a sculpture park immersed in nature, born from the vision and passion of Ruggero Togni, an entrepreneur and art lover who chose to bring the beauty of the place into dialogue with the inspiration of contemporary artists.
Once known as Villa Gruber and now home to Hotel Bellevue San Lorenzo, this residence boasts a long artistic and cultural tradition. In the summer of 1913 it hosted Gustav Klimt, the leading figure of Austrian Secessionism, who from a terrace of the villa painted View of Malcesine and The Church of Cassone, leaving an indelible mark on the history of the place.
The Mignola Park, overlooking the lake and bearing witness to the atmospheres of the Belle Époque and the great tourist flows from beyond the Alps, welcomes works conceived specifically to engage in dialogue with the landscape. Among olive trees, cypresses, and magnolias, the sculptures blend naturally into their surroundings, as if they had always belonged to this space, maintaining a harmonious balance of forms, colors, and proportions.
The project came to life in 1987 from the friendship between Ruggero Togni, Alberto Lui, then director of the Suzzara Museu, and the painter Ottavio Giacomazzi (Malcesine, 1936–1999), an artist of Central European culture and coordinator of the Contemporary Art Gallery of the Scaligero Castle in Malcesine. The aim was clear: to create a private museum, alive and lived in, open to guests from all over Europe.
Over the years, numerous artists have helped enrich the park with site-specific works, leaving a unique testimony of their artistic practice: Italo Antico, Alik Cavaliere, Gianmaria Colognese, Eduard Habicher, Wolfgang Lamachè, Teodosio Magnoni, Gianfranco Pardi, Mauro Staccioli, up to the arrival of Piera Legnaghi, an established sculptor from Verona. Her work Escape, a large-scale sculpture, is set on a lush, vegetation-rich hill at the entrance to the hotel, offering breathtaking views of the lake. A bright red spiral that conveys dynamism, movement, and vitality, it was created in close relationship with the natural space that hosts it. As the artist herself states, the sculpture arises from a dialogue with the place, with nature, and with the landscape.
“I have always loved art,” says Ruggero Togni, “and my goal is to carry this project forward in memory of my friends Alberto Lui and Ottavio Giacomazzi. Even though times are difficult, this place was created for beautiful things.” A unique park on Lake Garda, where art, history and nature continue to live in perfect balance.