Trentino’s museums come together to tell the story of the Olympics
5 exhibitions reveal the character of sport, its values and its challenges
How does an athlete prepare before an Olympic competition? What is the history that links a pair of sport skis to Alpine farmers? How have artists represented the challenges faced by the body throughout the centuries?
A single point of view is hardly enough to answer all these questions. More complementary skills must be added to the team. Enter “Combinazioni” (Combinations), the project that, every year, brings together museums and cultural institutions in Trentino around a single theme, with the aim of exploring it from different perspectives.
The theme for 2025-2026 is “Combinazioni_Caratteri sportivi” (Combinations_Sports Characters). It is the most fitting welcome for the 2026 Winter Olympic and Paralympic games, which will take place on the slopes of Trentino from 6 February to 15 March 2026.
This year’s project is part of the Milan Cortina 2026 Cultural Olympiad, a rich programme of artistic and cultural initiatives that promote the values of the Olympics and Paralympics through culture, Italian heritage, and sport.
Five exhibitions and a walking trail to revisit the theme of sport, its values and its challenges, and to look for new combinations that lend themselves to unexpected interpretations.
Performance - Le Gallerie
Since 2024, Le Gallerie in Trento has been hosting the exhibition project “Anelli di congiunzione” (Connecting Rings). Three exhibitions, one per year, to discuss sports-related topics. 2024 was the year of Records. Until 6 January 2026, Le Gallerie will host the exhibition dedicated to Sports Performances, while the final act will take place from 29 January 2026: Competition, sport featured as a drive for improvement and for overcoming obstacles.
Sport Challenging the Body – MART Museum
A two-millennia-long journey through the history of art, in search of works that celebrate sport and focus on the human body and its victories, but also its fragility. The exhibition features over 300 works, 150 artists, 8 thematic sections, and 2 curators. “Sport. Le sfide del corpo” (Sport. The Challenges of the Body), on display at MART Museum, in Rovereto, from 1 November 2025 to 22 March 2026.
IMAGINE: Fabrizio Ferri_Untitled #4 (serie ERA)_1995_Courtesy l'artista_Ph. Fabrizio Ferri
L'Inverno nell'arte – Buonconsiglio Castle
Expanding upon the theme of the Winter Olympics, the Buonconsiglio Castle in Trento will host, from December 5, 2025 to March 15, the exhibition “L'Inverno nell' arte. Paesaggi, allegorie e vita quotidiana.” (Winter in Art: Landscapes, Allegories, and Everyday Life). It is a journey into the past, between reality and imagination, to tell the story of the coldest months. From the daily life of the lower classes to the pastimes of aristocrats, up to the allegorical representations of the Renaissance and Baroque periods.
PAINTING: Jan Wildens, Mese di Gennaio - Pattinatori sul ghiaccio, olio su tela, 1614 circa. Genova, Musei di Strada Nuova, Palazzo Rosso
Attrezzi: dal lavoro al sogno spirtivo – METS Museum
Sleds, snowshoes and skis: today we use them for sport or walks in the snow, but they were once essential tools in the daily life of the farmers who inhabited the Alps between the 19th and 20th century. This is the story told by the exhibition “Attrezzi: dal lavoro al sogno spirtivo” (Tools: from Work to the Sporting Dream) at the METS Museum of San Michele all’Adige, on display from 6 December 2025 to 31 March, 2026.
In vista dello scatto – Palazzo delle Albere
Movement, athletic gestures, strong emotions, 'impossible' feats and confronting one's limits are all perfect ingredients for a photographer searching for a breathtaking shot. From 6 December 2025 to 15 March 2026, the Palazzo delle Albere in Trento will host "In vista dello scatto" (Awaiting the shot), an exhibition of vintage photographs by Fratelli Pedrotti. The exhibition will explore the relationship between the sporting phenomenon and its cultural representations in relation to technological progress, society and the environment.
Oltre il traguardo – MUSE
How does an athlete prepare for an Olympic competition? You can find out at MUSE, the science museum of Trento, by visiting the exhibition “Oltre il traguardo. La scienza che muove lo sport” (Beyond the finish line. The Science that Drives Sport), on display from February 1st to September 27th 2026. From studies on athletes’ performance to their psychological preparation: a scientific analysis of sport and its challenges.
Training Democracy – De Gasperi Foundation
A project with three souls that correlate the concept of democracy with the culture and practice of sport: Alcide’s Trails (Sentieri di Alcide), Training Democracy (Allenare la democrazia), and Degasperi’s August (Agosto degasperiano). Alcide’s Trails, in particular, comprises three walking trails dedicated to the famous statesman and to the culture of democracy. Visitors are meant to walk the trails while listening to audio narrations that invite you to reflect on principles such as listening, patience, and commitment, highlighting the connection between the values of the mountains, sport, and politics.
