A New Chapter for Association Benàch: Our Welcome & Research Centre in Torbole

On a very special day in Torbole last Tuesday, Keli Schmid, Archivist for the 10th Mountain Division at the Denver Public Library in Colorado, cut the ribbon to inaugurate the new Association Benàch Welcome & Research Centre. Keli’s presence, as part of the 10th Mountain Descendants Return to Italy trip 2025, made the occasion even more meaningful — linking past, present, and future in a single gesture.

For us, this moment was more than just opening a door. It was about opening our hearts and our mission wider: to welcome visitors, to share stories, and to keep alive the memory of the 10th Mountain Division and the wartime history of Lake Garda.

The centre is not an official museum, but it is a warm, living space. A place where we can:

• Welcome and talk with visitors who come seeking to understand this history.

• Safeguard our archival material and ongoing research.

• Screen our documentary The Lost Mountaineers for small groups.

• Display meaningful artefacts and donations, including the remarkable collection entrusted to us by Lisa Balboni, honoring her father, a Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Air Force.

For Ben, Antonella, and all of us at Benàch, the centre is a step forward — a foundation stone for our long-term dream of creating a permanent exhibition space, a true museum, where memory, research, and friendship can meet.

It is a beginning, yes — but an important one. And we are grateful to take it together, with the support of our friends, families, and the wider community.

Dear friends of Association Benàch, at the opening of our new Welcome & Research Centre — a step toward our dream of a permanent exhibition space and museum.

View of the Benach Welcome & Research Centre

Welcome & Research Centre

Welcome & Research Centre - showing some of the Francis Henry Balboni collection and some of the Benach publications

Proudly on show — the beautiful gift from the 10th Mountain Descendants Return to Italy group.

Thanks to our incredible partners and sponsors:

#ComuneDiNagoTorbole #ComuneDiRonzoChienis #FondazioneMuseoStoricoDelTrentino #ArcheologiDellAria #10thMountainDivisionFoundation #10thMountainDivisionDescendants #57thBombWingAssociation #DenverPublicLibrary #CityOfFortSmith #FortSmithMuseumOfHistory #HonorForHeroes #PromareFoundation #PandoCommando #VeteranLifestyleMagazine #10thMountainWhiskeyAndSpirit

#AssociazioneBenàch #10thMountainDivision #LakeGarda #WWIIHistory #TheLostMountaineers #Torbole #MilitaryHeritage #HistoryPreservation #BenachCentre