Introduction

The landscape of Lake Maggiore and the surrounding valleys has been profoundly shaped by human hands, and the wealth of its beauty and fascination never fails to arouse the admiration of tourists from abroad. For centuries a natural artery for crossing the Alps, in the nineteenth century the lake became a stop on the elite international tourism trail, and a holiday destination for the aristocracy and the industrial middle class. At the same time, from an artistic standpoint, it became a field for the experiments in painting of the Lombard landscape school.
“In no age like ours, so restless and full of change, has there been such a perception of the mysterious affinity between the human spirit and the landscape”. So wrote Antonio Massara, the founder in 1909 of the Museum which in 1914 was to take the name of Museo del Paesaggio.

Today the Museo del Paesaggio opens its doors to the public with its collections of Painting, Sculpture, Archaeology and Popular Devotion, which illustrate various aspects of the art and history of the Province.
In addition, since 1978 the Museum has once more established a vital relationship with the surrounding landscape, in harmony with the original aims of its founder, and continues to promote the knowledge and conservation of its cultural, artistic and environmental heritage.