Replica of Goethe’s travelling overcoat goes on a journey of its own

A replica of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's historic travelling coat is set to go on display in Rome from December, as part of an exhibition celebrating the German poet's journey around Italy.

The "In the Footsteps of Goethe's Italian Journey" exhibition at the Casa di Goethe will also feature other items from Weimar's Klassik Stiftung museum, German Culture Minister Wolfram Weimer and Thuringia State Premier Mario Voigt announced on Thursday.

The exhibition will form a stop on the new German-Italian cultural trail called the Giro di Goethe. This route is intended to link cultural and tourist attractions along the path Goethe took on his journey through Italy from 1786 to 1788. 

Goethe was shaped by his time in Italy and his writing from that time has shaped the image of Italy in Germany. 

He is said to have travelled tens of thousands of kilometres during his lifetime, and the blue-grey woollen coat with a shoulder cape went with him.

"240 years after Goethe set off for Italy, we are setting out in his 
footsteps," said Weimer.  "With the Giro di Goethe, we aim to turn his Italian journey into a vibrant cultural route - from Verona via Venice and Florence to Naples and Sicily."

The Casa di Goethe museum in Rome is situated on the Via del Corso, where Goethe lived for a time with the painter Johann Heinrich Wilhelm Tischbein. 

During this period, Tischbein painted the famous portrait of the poet "Goethe in the Campagna."