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Trento, Italy



From its 13th-century castle to a collection of rare aircraft and the state-of-the-art MUSE science museum – a landmark of contemporary Italian architecture – Trento is full of surprises. Although its location at the junction of the trading route from Venice up the Val Sugana with the road over the Brenner Pass made it an important city since Roman times, its place in history was assured when the Council of Trent met and deliberated here from 1545 to 1563. Prompted by the Protestant Reformation, the council laid down the rules and forms of the Counter-Reformation that shaped subsequent Roman Catholic doctrine into modern times.

Modern-day Trento is a cosmopolitan city that often ranks highly out of all 103 Italian cities for quality of life, standard of living, and business and job opportunities, coming 1st, 6th and 2nd respectively. Trento is also one of the nation’s wealthiest and most prosperous, with its province being one of the richest in Italy.

The city of around 120,000 is located in the Adige River valley in the very north of Italy bordering Austria and Switzerland. The landscape abounds with singular natural treasures, among which are the famous Segonzano Pyramids, bizarre columns formed by high peaks that are in turn surmounted by boulders; and the spectacular Nardis Cascades in Val di Genova, white waterfalls that rush over contrasting black rocks. Beautiful valleys like those of Val di Fassa, Val di Fiemme and Val di Non run between the Dolomites, and are home to modern tourist resorts surrounded by breathtaking lakes, woods and pastures.



Rovereto railway station, opened in 1859, forms part of the Brenner railway, which links Verona with Innsbruck.

Rail Travel Times:

Milan to Rovereto: 2 hrs 36 mins

Innsbruck to Rovereto: 2 hrs 37 mins

Verona to Rovereto: 55 mins



Plan and Book:





Trento: See and Do

Although off the beaten path of mass tourism, Trento offers plenty of interest. Its architecture has a unique feel, with both Italian Renaissance and Germanic influences. The city center is small, and most Late-Medieval and Renaissance buildings have been restored to their original pastel colours and wooden balconies. Part of the medieval city walls is still visible in Piazza Fiera, along with a circular tower. Once, these walls encircled the whole town and were connected to the Castello del Buonconsiglio. The main monuments of the city include:


Duomo (Cathedral of Saint Vigilius), a Romanesque-Gothic cathedral of the twelfth-thirteenth century, built on top of a late-Roman basilica (viewable in an underground crypt).


Piazza Duomo, on the side of the Cathedral, with frescoed Renaissance buildings and the Late Baroque Fountain of Neptune (Fontana di Nettuno) built in 1767-1768. There are many fountains and statues of Neptune throughout Italy, all dating from the Renaissance, when the heroes of ancient history were populat subjects for artists and sculptors. Neptune was the god of freshwater and the sea in Roman religion. Like Poseidon, Neptune was worshipped by the Romans also as a god of horses, under the name Neptunus Equester, a patron of horse-racing.

The Church of Santa Maria Maggiore (1520) was the site of the preparatory congregations of the Third Council of Trent (April 1562 – December 1563). It was built for Bishop Bernardo Clesio by the architect Antonio Medaglia in Renaissance-Gothic style. The facade has a notable 16th-century portal, while the interior has works by Giambettino Cignaroli and Moroni.


Castello del Buonconsiglio, which includes a museum and the notable Torre dell’Aquila, with a cycle of fine Gothic frescoes depicting the months, commissioned by the prince-bishop Georg von Lichtenstein. The castle was originated from a fortified building, and erected in the 13th century next to the city’s walls. The castle is composed of a series of buildings of different eras, enclosed by a circle of walls in a slightly elevated position above the town. According to legend, the castle was connected by a secret tunnel to the city’s cathedral, which allowed the prince-bishops to move unseen between them.

Other churches include Church of San Pietro (12th century) It has a neo-Gothic facade added in 1848-1850; Church of Sant’Apollinare, erected in the 13th century at the feet of the Doss Trento hill; Church of San Lorenzo (12th century). It has a Romanesque apse.

Torre Verde, along the former transit path of the Adige river, is said to be where persons executed in the name of the Prince-Bishop were deposited in the river.

Palazzo delle Albere, a Renaissance villa next to the Adige river built around 1550 by the Madruzzo family, now hosting a modern art museum. According to legend, it was connected by a secret tunnel to the city’s cathedral, which was used by the prince-bishops move unseen between them. It is surrounded by a park, now smaller than once because it is crossed by the Brenner Railway and partly occupied by the Trento Monumental Cemetery.


Palazzo Pretorio, next to the Duomo, of the 12th century, with a bell tower (Torre Civica) of the thirteenth century. It was the main Bishops’ residence until the mid-13th century. Inside the palace is the Diocesan Museum, whose collections, although religious in nature, document the development of local artistic styles and techniques, especially in wood carving and sculpture. The rich treasury includes fine silver and gold work, liturgical vestments, rare illuminated manuscripts, paintings, and 16th-century Flemish tapestries.

Various underground remains of the streets and villas of the Roman city (in Via Prepositura and Piazza Cesare Battisti).



Trento also sports modernist architecture, including the train station and the central post office, both by rationalist architect Angiolo Mazzoni. In particular, the train station (1934-36) is considered a landmark building of Italian railways architecture and combines many varieties of local stone with the most advanced building materials of the time: glass, reinforced concrete, metal. The post office was once decorated with colored windows by Fortunato Depero, but these were destroyed during bombings in World War II. Other buildings of that time include the Grand Hotel (by G. Lorenzi) with some guest rooms furnished with futurist furniture by Depero, and the R. Sanzio Primary School built in 1931-34 and designed by Adalberto Libera.

An aeronautical museum (Museo dell’Aeronautica Gianni Caproni) is located in Mattarello, near Trento Airport. The Museo Tridentino di Scienze Naturali (Trent Museum of Natural Sciences), a museum of natural history and science, is located in the city centre.

Trento’s surroundings are known for their picturesque mountain landscapes, and are the destination of both summer and winter tourism. The Alpine Botanical Garden, located on Monte Bondone in Le Viote, was founded in 1938. Trento is also the venue of a Mountain Film Festival.


Segonzano Pyramids

Province of Trento

The Province of Trento lies to the south of the Province of Bolzano, coinciding with the geographic-historical area known as Trentino. The landscape abounds with many natural treasures, among which are the famous Segonzano Pyramids, bizarre columns formed by high peaks that are in turn surmounted by boulders; and the spectacular Nardis Cascades in Val di Genova, white waterfalls that rush over contrasting black rocks. Beautiful valleys like those of Val di Fassa, Val di Fiemme and Val di Non run between the Dolomites, that are home to modern tourist resorts surrounded by lakes, woods and pastures.


Nardis Cascades, Val di Genova

Trento is famous for the beauty of its landscape and the quality of its snow, making it a favorite destination for ski enthusiasts. It has excellently equipped ski hubs with hundreds of miles of slopes, particularly Madonna di Campiglio, Canazei, Cavalese, and San Martino di Castrozza. These localities are visited by tourists throughout the year, due to the fact that they offer so many opportunities for vacations amidst nature.

The southern area of Trento possesses a different but equally enchanting type of landscape, made up of such elements as a warmer climate, dense vegetation and the extraordinary Lake Garda.


Lake Toblino is considered to be one of the most romantic lakes in the Trentino. Lake Toblino is situated about 15 km in the west of Trento in the Sarca Valley, also called Lake Valley due to the large number of lakes located along it. What is most impressive is its location amidst soft hills, dense forests, vineyards, fruit trees, cypress alleys and Piccolo Dain rock face (971 m). Thanks to the mild climate in the area of lake Toblino, there is a typical Mediterranean vegetation with lemons, rosemary, laurelsa and olive trees. This is the habitat of different water birds and fish, as the area is also protected.

However, the most astonishing element on the lake shore is Toblino Castle, a fairytale-like fortress dating back to the 12th century, which is at the centre of many legends and forbidden love affairs. In the 16th century, it has been converted into a summer recidence of prince-bishop Madruzzo. Meanwhile this outstanding building has become a restaurant and is only accessible for its guests. We recommend having a cup of coffee on the sun terrace of the castle as you enjoy the great panoramic view on the lake. Lake Toblino is 35 minutes by bus No. 201 or 205 from Trento.

Hermitage of St Columbano

Eremo di San Colombano, in Trambileno, Italy, is one of the most visually dramatic monasteries in Europe. It is located in the side of a mountain halfway up the rock wall of a gorge formed by the stream of Leno Vallarsa. The Hermitage was built over the entrance of some natural caves and was used by monks, hermits, who were its guardians, until 1782 when the practice of the hermitage was abolished. The first documentary evidence of the presence of the Hermitage and the church is from 1319, relating to a bequest made to the “Church of St. Columba” on the part of Count William of Castelbarco of the House of Lords of Lizzana and Rovereto, however the date 753 has been inscribed into the rock. The province of Trent in 1996 restored the church, and the opening to the public is maintained by a group of volunteers gathered in the Committee Friends of St. Columban.

The hermitage is accessed by a staircase of 102 steps carved into rock. Frescoes depict the fight between St. Columba and a dragon (an allegory of the struggle between good and evil), as well as the representation of Paradise, located in the cave. Another fresco with “Madonna and Saints” is the fifteenth-century altar of the church and keeps recordings with prayers and candles dated between 1505 and 1782, witnessed the pilgrimage to the shrine.

Trambileno is located about 25 kilometres (16 mi) south of Trento.

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