Marostica, Italy just got its first dedicated chess museum. The Giovanni Longo International Chess Museum opened May 16 in the Lower Castle, a 14th-century fortress overlooking the city's famous Chess Square. This is the first museum of its kind in Italy and one of Europe's rare chess-focused institutions.
A collector named Giovanni Longo donated his personal collection to make it happen. The exhibition displays around 150 items, centered on 90 chess sets and boards spanning different periods and styles. The museum built accessibility into its design from the start, ensuring visually impaired and hearing-impaired visitors can engage with the exhibits.
The timing is perfect. Marostica already hosts the "Living Chess Game," a spectacular event staged every two years in autumn where locals dress as pieces and play on the city square. The museum adds another layer to the city's chess identity. You get the tournament tradition, the street spectacle, and now a permanent collection showing how players have set up the board across centuries.
For chess tourism, this changes things. A pilgrimage to Marostica now means more than catching the living game. You can study historical sets, see how equipment evolved, and understand the game's material culture beyond just moves and tactics. It's the kind of institution chess deserves more of.