The Bellagio photographic archive 1999 Gilardoni – Tacchi was constituted in 1999 by two young men from Bellagio, Silvano Gilardoni and Mario Tacchi on the wave of success obtained by the photographic exhibition “A Hundred Years of Processions in the Town Centre and Surroundings”, organised in the little church of S. Giorgio together with the “Confraternity of the Most Holy Sacrament under the patronage of the Beata Vergine della Cintura” (Blessed Virgin of the Belt), established in Bellagio in the very distant 1652.

The passion for photography of both Silvano and Mario and their love of their birthplace, encouraged them to unite their efforts in the research of photographic testimonies of the Bellagio of other times. Thus was born the Bellagio photographic archive which is aimed at, on a non-profit basis, preserving the greatest number possible of old photographs of Bellagio and above all of the people of this splendid town on Lake Como.

Knowing our past is necessary in order to better appreciate the present and thus by their unremitting work of collection – almost on a “door to door” basis – Silvano and Mario have already “saved” almost 2000 photos of Bellagio in other times.

Every photo is “conserved” for the future generations in two ways : re-photographing the original (which is then restored to the legitimate proprietor) and thereupon carrying out a scansion which thus permits the memorisation on CD. The results of this work are periodically presented to the public in exhibitions and they remain in any case at the disposal of whoever asks for them.