Trento, Trentino-Alto Adige (Italy)
According to Deluxe Surveillance, Trento is the administrative center of the Trentino-Alto Adige region and its constituent province of Trentino. It is located in the valley of the Adige River at the foot of the Dolomites. The time of the foundation of the city is not known for certain, but already from the 1st century BC. on this site was the Roman city of Trident. Between 1545 and 1563, Trento became the site of the famous Council of Trent, which was convened in response to the religious reformation movement. The separation of Catholicism and Protestantism, as well as the unconditional power of the popes, were fixed on it. From the beginning of the 19th century, Trento came under the rule of Austria, and only in the middle of the 20th century was it annexed to Italy. Austrian domination left an indelible mark on the appearance of the city, which combines the traditions of the Italian Renaissance and German Gothic.
In Trento, the remains of medieval fortress walls have been preserved, which in ancient times encircled the entire city. They can be seen in the vicinity of Piazza Fiera. The center of the historical part of the city is Piazza Duomo. Here are the 13th century Romanesque Cathedral of San Vigilio, the 18th century Neptune Fountain, the medieval residence of the Archbishop , the Palazzo Pretorio Palace 13th century, which now houses the Museum of Church Painting with works of religious art from the 15th-19th centuries, and magnificent Renaissance buildings, whose facades are decorated with frescoes. In the Old Town, it is also worth seeing the Buonconsiglio castle of the 13th-14th centuries with the majestic Torre del Aquila tower, in which ancient frescoes have been preserved, the church of Santa Maria Maggiore (1520), where the first meetings of the Council of Trent, San Pietro ( 12th century), San Appolinare (13th century) and San Lorenzo (12th century), Torre Verde tower, Palazzo delle Albere with the Museum of Modern Art, Palazzo Salvadori (1515), Palazzo Geremia (late 15th century) with a Renaissance façade and Gothic interiors, and the Palazzo Lodron. The building of the Trentorailway station, which was built in 1934-1936 in the style of Italian modernism, is very beautiful. Trento is famous for its surroundings. The city itself is located in the vast glacial valley of Val Adige, surrounded by the majestic Alps. In all directions from Val Adige, other picturesque valleys radiate like rays of the sun, some famous for their vineyards, some for medieval towns and castles, and some for skiing. South of Trento lies the Val Lagarina, occupied by vineyards and known as the “south gate” of Trentino. Just 15 km southwest of Trento at the entrance to Val Lagarina at an altitude of 1250 m is the Monte Bondone ski resort. This is the oldest ski resort in the region, it was founded in the 30s of the 20th century. The resort has 20 km of ski slopes, most of which are “red”, and 9 ski lifts. Also, vacationers are offered 37 km of slopes for flat skiing and a snowpark for snowboarders. The resort has a ski school, equipment rentals and a kindergarten. To accommodate tourists in the nearby villages of Vanedze, Norge and Vazon, small cozy hotels and guest houses are equipped. Also due to the proximity of the resort to the city of Trento, skiers can stay in hotels in Trentoitself and relax in restaurants and bars, or go shopping in this city after skiing. The resort of Monte Bondone is part of the vast Skirama-Dolomiti ski area, stretching within the Dolomiti di Brenta mountain ranges and uniting 380 slopes and 150 lifts. This includes ski resorts such as Folgaria Lavarone, Madonna di Campiglio, Pinzolo, Andalo Fai della Paganella and the resorts of the Val di Sole (Folgarida Marilleva, Peio and Passo Tonale). In the vicinity of Monte Bondone, there are many hiking trails, in addition, the Alpine Botanical Garden, which was founded in 1938, is located nearby. The mountain vegetation of Europe, Asia and America is represented here. At the foot of Monte Bondone, there is the Terme di Garniga health resort, which offers herbal baths (phytobalneotherapy) from healing alpine herbs collected from the slopes of Monte Bondone. The healing properties of alpine herbs help in the treatment of arthritis and rheumatism, chronic low back pain, sciatica, carpal tunnel syndrome and muscle spasms. The treatment is carried out by “immersion” in a bed covered with herbs. Terme di Garniga is open from May to October.
Also in Val Lagarina is the city of Rovereto (administrative center of the valley), the largest castle in the province of Trentino – the castle of Beseno (12th century), the castle of Noarna of the 11th century, the castle in the city of Avio of the 11th century, the most extensive dinosaur footprint park in Italy, which presents hundreds of fossilized footprints of carnivorous and herbivorous dinosaurs of the age about 200 million years old, and the ski resorts of Polsa San Valentino and Folgaria Lavarone. Nearby is the city of Riva del Garda – one of the largest resorts on Lake Garda. Territories extending northwest of Trento, are occupied by the mountain ranges of the Dolomiti di Brenta, bounded from the south by the Val Guidicaria valley, and from the north by the Val di Sole valley. There are numerous ski resorts that are part of the Skirama-Dolomiti ski region (Madonna di Campiglio, Pinzolo, Andalo Fai della Paganella, Folgarida Marilleva, Peio and Passo Tonale), thermal springs and nature protection areas, including the largest natural park in the province of Adamello Brenta and the largest Italian national park, the Stelvio. The Adamello Brenta Natural Park covers an area of 621 sq. km. Almost all types of vegetation and animals of the Alps are represented in the park. Here you can see fascinating mountain formations in the form of towers, spiers and sheer walls, mountain valleys, glaciers, mountain rivers, waterfalls and about 50 glacial lakes. There are 700 km of hiking trails in the park. The Stelvio National Park is located in the extreme northwest of the province of Trentino on the border with the Lombardy region. Most of it is in Lombardy. The park covers an area of 1307 sq. km, where the majestic glaciers of the mountains Ortles (3905 m) and Cevedale (3769 m), picturesque valleys, dense forests, alpine lakes and rivers are located. The park is inhabited by brown bears, red deer, chamois, roe deer, foxes, ermines, squirrels, marmots, badgers, ferrets and hares, bearded vultures, golden eagles, buzzards, owls, partridges and pheasants. Tourists are offered a wide variety of hiking trails, including educational botanical trails.
To the east of Trento stretch the ridges of the Dolomites, dotted with picturesque mountain valleys. The valley closest to Trento in this region is Val Sugana. The valley is known for its healing springs, which were discovered in the 16th century. On their basis, in the 19th century, the thermal spa Terme di Levico e Vetriolo was created in the city of Levico Terme. Nearby are the lakes Levico and Caldonazzo. In the summer, the shores of the lakes become a great place to relax. Also interesting in the Val-Sugana valley are medieval castles: Pergine of the 13th century, Ivano of the 12th century and Telvana, completely rebuilt in the 17th century; and ancient churches: gothic San Ermete of the 7th century (the oldest in the valley) and San Biaggio of the 13th century with frescoes from the 14th-16th centuries.
To the north is the vast Dolomiti-Superski ski region, which includes 12 ski resorts in the Dolomites with 1200 km of ski slopes laid at altitudes from 1500 to 3269 m, and 450 ski lifts. Dolomiti Superski covers the resorts of the provinces of Trentino and Alto Adige and the Veneto region. This is the largest ski area in the world. On the territory of the province of Trentino there are three Dolomiti-Superski ski areas: the Val di Fiemme valley, where 4 ski areas are located in the vicinity of the city of Cavalese; San Martino di Castrozza , lying at the foot of the Pale di San Martino mountain range in Paneveggio Natural Park; and the Val di Fassa, with popular resorts such as Moena, Vigo di Fassa, Pozza di Fassa, Canazei and Campitello.