Booking.com

Rovereto, Italy



The town of Rovereto is 20 kilometres south of Trento, in the southern part of the Trentino-Alto Adige region of northern Italy. Rovereto is east of Riva del Garda (at the north-western corner of Lake Garda). The town is located at the southern edge of the Italian Alps, near the Dolomites. It is bordered by Monte Cengialto (686m above sea level) to the east.

Rovereto was an ancient fortress town standing at the frontier between the bishopric of Trento – an independent state until 1797 – and the republic of Venice, and later between Austrian Tyrol and Italy. The town is overlooked by a castle, the main highlight of any visit to Rovereto. The pleasant town centre is a delight to explore, since Rovereto still retains many parts dating back to the Middle Ages and the 19th century.



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 53 mins

Verona to Rovereto: 39 mins



Plan and Book:





Rovereto: See and Do

The medieval village of Rovereto stands at the foot of the beautiful and impressive Rovereto Castle, and the mighty structure of the two boundary walls. The foundations of the castle walls lean against the rocks of the Leno. The castle was built by the counts of Castelbarco in the 13th-14th centuries, and later enlarged by the Venetians during their rule of Rovereto. During a visit to the Castle you also have the chance to see the Italian War museum (Museo Storico Italiano della Guerra) is located inside the castle. The Italian War Museum was founded in 1921 in remembrance of the First World War and in it are preserved arms and documents relating to wars from the 16th to the 20th centuries.

Outside the castle walls there is the medieval city, rich in Palaces and reflecting various architectural trends from the 17th to 19th centuries – from the Baroque to the Neo-classical and Liberty style. The medieval village of Saint Thomas around the castle is separated from it by the Leno torrent – the inhabitants of the village entered into the fortress via the Forbato Bridge. Saint Thomas still retains the typical characteristics of a medieval village. You can admire it from the mighty Castle overlooking the valley with the village roofs crowding together around the narrow roads and squares.


Maria Dolens bell

Rovereto is home to the mighty bell Maria Dolens, one of the largest outside Russia and East Asia, and the second-largest swinging bell in the world after the St. Peter’s Bell of the Cologne Cathedral. Maria Dolens (“the grieving Virgin Mary”) was built under the inspiration of a local priest, between 1918 and 1925, to commemorate the fallen in all wars, and to this day it sounds for the dead every day. Originally a patriotic rather than pacifist idea, it is today regarded as a shrine to peace.

Rovereto’s 15th century Church of San Marco and the Palazzo Municipale is a magnificent building inspired by typical Venetian architecture and rich in art and frescoes. To admire the ancient noble palaces, follow the road that leads from Piazza Rosmini to the Corso Bettini, on which there are magnificent 18th century palaces with parks and gardens, such as those which are now home to the Civic Library and the Zandonais Theatre. Along Via Dante and through Piazza delle Erbe and Piazza del Podesta, you can see various artefacts and interesting buildings such as the beautiful baroque church called The Suffragio.

19th century architecture in Rovereto is represented by the Palazzos that run from Piazza Rosmini to the railway station. Here you can admire the Balista Palace and also the Civic Museum, which holdes various artistic and archaeological artefacts. An essential destination for art lovers is the Deperos Museum where you can see paintings by some famous Futurist painters such as Fortunato Depero.


Sacrario di Castel Dante

On a hill two kilometres away from Rovereto centre is the Sacrario di Castel Dante (“Shrine of Castel Dante”), which contains the mortal remains of the fallen from World War I of various nationalities. Nearby you can also see the ruins of the ancient Castle of Lizzana.

The Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art of Trento and Rovereto offers temporary exhibitions, educational activities, and has a remarkable permanent collection.


History of Rovereto

It was during the Roman Age, in the place where the castle now stands, that a Roman outpost was established to control the road that led to the Brenner and the important trade route from Central Europe to the Mediterranean Sea. Later, in the Middle Ages, the Castle was a fiefdom belonging to the great Lords from Lizzana who ruled the surrounding territory. An important turning point in the history of Rovereto began with the Venetian Dominion in 1411, because the city, in addition to be an important military base, was transformed into a centre of commerce.

The modern history of Rovereto also begins around its castle, which medieval documents refer to as a fortified city. The castle was developed by the Venetians in the 15th century because it was a strategic point for the control of the Leno and Adige river Valleys. Around 1510, Rovereto became a dominion of the Habsburgs.



Between the 18th and 19th century, Rovereto went through a great transition and became a prominent cultural centre, as you can see by the noble palaces in the town which remain from this period of prosperity, and also a leading industrial town based on wool and cotton-mills. More recently Rovereto was highly affected by the events of World War I and became annexed to the Kingdom of Italy in 1918.

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.

Design by W3layouts

Booking.com
Booking.com