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Scroll down to also read about the 'Alto Adige' subregion, and check out our page on one of Trentino-Alto Adige's popular tourist attractions The Dolomites

I Love Touring Italy - the Trentino Subregion

If you looking for a special European tourist destination, why don't you consider the Trentino-Alto Adige region of northern Italy on the border of both Switzerland and Austria? Its many tourist attractions include the Dolomite Mountains, that the famous architect Le Corbusier called The most beautiful work of architecture even seen, glacier lakes, and Alpine forests. The region is composed of two parts, Trentino in the south and Alto Adige in the north. This article presents Trentino; a companion article presents Alto Adige.

We'll start our tour of Trentino at Rovereto near the border with Lombardy. We proceed northeast to the local capital, Trento, and head west first past the village of Comano with its thermal waters then past the typical Trentino village of Tione. Here we turn northeast to finish our tour at the ski resort Madonna di Campiglio. There is a lot more skiing in the area, but its over the border into Lombardy not very far from Switzerland.

The medieval city of Rovereto, population about 35 thousand, has had its share of warfare. In 1796 Napoleon won a bloody battle against Austria. And in World War I Italian and Austrian troops fought a bloody, inconclusive battle. Every night fall the thousands who died there are honored by La Campana dei Caduti (The Bell of the Fallen) that tolls 100 times in remembrance of the fallen of all wars as a warning for future peace. This bell, cast in 1924, is the largest bell in the world that rings full peal.

The Museo Storico Italiano della Guerra (Italian Historical War Museum) was founded after World War I to commemorate the war and to prevent future wars. It is located in a medieval castle that exemplifies Fifteenth Century Venetian military architecture with its tunnels, moats, and towers. It is perhaps the worlds largest anti-war museum. An annex displays World War I artillery in an air-raid shelter from that time. For a change of pace, visit MART, the Museo DArte Moderna e Contemporaneo (Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art). The focus is on a local artist, Fortunato Depero, but the collection includes works from Picasso, Leger, Klee, Kandinsky, Lichtenstein, Modigliani, and Warhol among others.

Trento, population about one hundred thousand if you add in the suburbs, is Trentinos major city. Its main historical claim to fame was the Council of Trent stretching from 1545 to 1563 that marked the beginning of the Counter-Reformation. The fight to join Trento-Alto Adige to Italy was a major reason for Italian participation in World War I.

The Duomo (Cathedral of San Virgilio) is a Twelfth-Thirteenth Century Romanesque-Gothic structure built over a Sixth Century Church dedicated to the citys patron saint, San Virgilio. Whenever the Council of Trent came to a decision, it was read at the Cappela del Crocifisso (Chapel of the Crucifix) located within the cathedral.

The Sixteenth Century Renaissance Santa Maria Maggiore Church hosted many sessions of the Council of Trent. The courtyard of the building at 18 via Rosmini contains the mosaic floor of a Roman villa of the Second Century A.D.

The Castello del Buonconsiglio (Castle of Good Counsel) started in the Thirteenth Century next to the city walls. Over the centuries it grew. This castle includes the Museo Provinciale dArte (Provincial Art Museum). Make sure to see the frescoes including the famous Fifteenth Century Cycle of the Months, portraying contemporary life in Medieval Trentino in the Torre Aquila (Eagle Tower) and the more recent (late Sixteenth Century) frescoes depicting hunting scenes in the Torre del Falco (Falcon Tower).

Other sights to see include several historic churches, underground remains of Roman streets and villas, the modernistic train station, the Museo Storico in Trento (Trento Historical Museum) scheduled to reopen soon if not already, and the Museo dellAeronautica Gianni Caproni (Gianni Caproni Aeronautical Museum) located at the airport. Check out the Mountain Film Festival.

Not far from Trento, especially if you are willing to drive on Alpine roads competing against Alpine drivers, are two great sites; the medieval spa town of Levico Terme and the Alpine Botanical Garden with over a thousand species of plants originating in the Alps and other mountain ranges across the globe. Madonna di Campiglio advertises itself as Italys number one ski resort. The clientele is mostly Italian and the slopes tend to be intermediate, but there are slopes for beginners and experts as well. The resort boasts 57 lifts and 150 kilometers (90 miles) of ski runs with a capacity of over thirty thousand skiers per hour. There are 40 kilometers (25 miles) of cross-country ski trails. You can go to the city center and back without ever removing your skis. For a change of pace, visit the nearby Adamello-Brenta Natural Park encompassing 450 kilometers (300 miles) of mountain paths, but you will have to remove your skis to do so. This resort recently hosted the Snowboard World Championships. Head a bit north to Campo Carlo Magno, a mountain pass that Charlemagne is said to have traversed on the way to his coronation in Rome way back in the year 800.

Since you have come this far you should consider visiting two more sites; Bormio about sixty miles (one hundred kilometers) northwest of Madonna di Campiglio and Passo dello Stelvio about twelve miles (twenty kilometers) north of Bormio just south of the Swiss border. These sites are in the Lombardy region, far from the cities and towns described in our various Lombardy articles. Briefly, Bormio has lots of long pistes and a one mile drop. You will find Roman baths (frequented by none other than Leonardo da Vinci) and a spa. Bormio is an entry point to the largest national park in the Alps, Parco Nazionale dello Stelvio with six hundred different species of mushrooms. Passo dello Stelvio is the second highest European mountain pass.

What about food? Trentino cuisine has a real Alpine accent and includes plenty of butter, cheese, game, and wild mushrooms, dozens of which can be found in local markets. The nearly three hundred lakes and rivers furnish plenty of fish. Expect to eat polenta, which may be made from potatoes or buckwheat, as well as the usual corn. A major contender for Italys most weirdly named dish is Strangolapreti (Priest Strangler). No record actually exists of priests giving up the ghost when faced with these Spinach, Egg, and Cheese Gnocchi but the idea was that their delicate throats couldnt handle these robust Gnocchi.

Lets suggest a sample menu, one of many. Start with Orzetto (Barley Soup with Ham). Then try Trota alla Trentina (Marinated Trout in Lemon and Red Wine Sauce). For dessert indulge yourself with Zelten (Wheat Cake with Dried Fruits and Nuts). Be sure to increase your dining pleasure by including local wines with your meal.

We conclude with a quick look at Trentino-Alto Adige wine. Trentino-Alto Adige ranks 16th among the 20 Italian regions for acreage devoted to wine grapes and 14th for total annual wine production. The region produces about 55% red and 45% white wine. There are eight DOC wines of which six are found in Trentino (one DOC wine is shared with Alto Adige and another with Alto Adige and with Veneto.) DOC stands for Denominazione di Origine Controllata, which may be translated as Denomination of Controlled Origin, presumably a high-quality wine. A whopping 79.1% of Trentino-Alto Adige wine carries the DOC designation, by far the highest percentage in Italy.

The Trentino DOC covers the entire Trento province and provides over twenty types of wine. The most recent Trento-Alto Adige wine that I tasted was a Vino Novello (New Wine) that probably wasn't typical of Trento-Alto Adige wine but was typical of Vino Novello wine. The less said the better. There actually is a wine called Pinot Grigio Trentino Concilio (Pinot Gris Council of Trent) but I haven't tasted it.

I Love Touring Italy - the Alto-Adige Subregion

If you are looking for a European tourist destination, consider the Trentino-Alto Adige region of northern Italy on the border of both Switzerland and Austria. Among its tourist attractions are the Dolomite Mountains, that the famous architect Le Corbusier called "The most beautiful work of architecture even seen," glacier lakes, and Alpine forests. In fact the region is composed of two parts, Trentino in the south and Alto Adige in the north. This article presents Alto Adige; a companion article presents Trentino.

When you live in Alto Adige you have to declare your first language: choices include Italian (26.5%), German (69%), and Ladin (4%). There is a German-speaking majority in fully 103 of 116 communes, and only 5 have an Italian-speaking majority. We won't go into the sometimes painful history of German-Italian relations in Alto Adige except to say that the relations are now fairly good. As a tourist you'll be able to enjoy the two cultures.

We'll start our tour of Alto Adige at Caldaro near the border with Trentino. Then we will proceed basically clockwise visiting Naturno and Bolzano (the regional capital and largest city), and then pass the following towns and ski resorts which we won't have time to visit on this tour: Chiusa, Bressanone, Brunico, and Dobbiaco. We resume visiting at Cortina d'Ampezzo, and proceed west to Canazei and to Lago di Carezza only about 22 kilometers (14 miles) from our starting point. We'll do something here that we haven't done previously. We present the place name in Italian and the German name in parentheses. Alto Adige, called Sued Tyrol in German, is still heavily German speaking and retains a distinctive Germanic, or more exactly Austrian, character.

Caldaro (Kaltern) is a village of about 7500 residents that annually attracts over 400,000 tourists. So you know the basis of its economy. Its architecture is a pleasing combination of Italian Renaissance and German Gothic elements as exemplified in the historic Church of Santa Caterina in the town center. The Caldero Lake claims to be the warmest in the Alps and so is enjoyable from May to September. Visit the Museo Provinciale del Vino (Provincial Wine Museum) situated in a princely manor. Caldaro is in South Tyrol's best wine region and you can walk from the museum to vineyards growing rare and ancient grape varieties.

The horticultural center of Naturno (Naturns) whose population is approximately five thousand, is near the westernmost point of our tour. Be sure to see the Seventh Century Church of San Procolo, especially its ancient frescoes which are among the oldest in the German-speaking world. Then drive a bit west to the Thirteenth Century Castel Juval now owned by Reinhold Messner, who holds two Mount Everest firsts. He climbed it solo and he climbed it without additional oxygen. This castle has become an inn, a winery, and a museum devoted to mountaineering and Tibetan art.

Bolzano (Bozen) is the capital of the autonomous province of Alto Adige. Its population is about 100,000, many of whom are German speaking. However, Bolzano does have a heavy majority of Italian speakers. This is one city where you will definitely be able to hear two languages and enjoy two cultures.

Perhaps you will start with the Museo Archeologico dell'Alto Adige (South Tyrol Archeological Museum) whose star attraction is Oetzi, the more than five thousand year old iceman discovered in Italy near the Austrian border in 1991. The museum offers many other exhibits, both predating and postdating the world's oldest naturally preserved body.

The Gothic Duomo (Cathedral) was built from the Twelfth to Fourteenth Centuries. Of particular interest are its frescoes and stone pulpit. The Porta del Vino (Wine Gate) on the outside of the building shows peasants at work in the vineyards. Remember, this iswine country. The Fourteenth Century Chiesa dei Domenicani (Dominican Monastery) was badly damaged over the centuries including during World War II. Some of its paintings and frescoes are in bad shape, however others are magnificent.

Other churches to see include the Thirteenth Century Chiesa dei Domenicani (Dominican Church), which hosts Bolzano's best collection of paintings and frescoes, its chapel Cappella di San Giovanni, and the Twelfth Century Vecchia Parrochiale (Old Parish Church) with a Romanesque crucifix predating the church itself and a Fifteenth Century Gothic wooden altar.

The vine covered Thirteenth Century Castel Mareccio (Mareccio Castle) is now a congress center with a courtyard that can accommodate up to two hundred people. A transparent roof ensures year round availability. The castle's frescoes can be seen only on Tuesdays in a free guided tour, either in Italian or in German.

Make sure that you visit Bolzano's two main squares. A statue of Neptune, god of the sea, overlooks the produce market in the Piazza delle Erbe. Go there before lunchtime and bring a picnic basket. The Piazza Walther with its Monument to Walther honors a local hero, the wandering minstrel Walther von der Vogelweide, a sort of Twelfth Century Bob Dylan.

Do you like walking? If so, enjoy numerous beautiful promenades including the 8 kilometer (5 mile) Passeggiata del Guncina with its view of the city, the Passeggiata di Sant'Osvaldo (Oswald Promenade) skirting vineyards on the edge of the city, and Passeggiate del Lungotalvera (Lungotalvera Promenade) along the river in the middle of town.

Cortina d'Ampezzo is a fairly exclusive, mostly Italian speaking, winter resort. Cortina was supposed to host the 1944 Winter Olympics but because of World War II had to wait until 1956. Known as "The Pearl of the Dolomites," it lies in a meadow some 4000 feet (1.2 kilometers) above sea level, surrounded by mountains. Its great site has made Cortina the location of many popular films such as The Pink Panther and For Your Eyes Only. It seems that younger Italians prefer Madonna di Campiglio, described in our companion article on Trentino.

Canazei is popular, mostly German speaking, winter resort in the Val di Fassa. Among its attractions are lovely little village and slopes for all levels of skiers. Be sure to take the cable car up to Col Rodella for a truly magnificent view of the mountains.

We finish our tour of this beautiful region at the mile-high glacier lake, Lago di Carezza. In this lake you can see reflections of the surrounding forests and mountains. We're almost back to our starting point of Caraldo. Don't you feel like doing this circular tour again? There is so much that we have seen, but there is so much that we haven't seen yet.

What about food? Alto Adige has a definite Austro-Tyrolean flavor. The most popular foods include wursts, cabbage dishes, dumplings, and potatoes. Pork is big, especially Speck, Austrian smoked ham. One local specialty that I have no intention of trying is salami made from donkey. I'll stick with the sauerkraut.

Let's suggest a sample menu, one of many. Start with Sauersuppe (Tyrolean Tripe Soup). Then try Zuppa al Vino Bianco (Stew with White Wine). For dessert indulge yourself with Kastanientorte (Pureed Chestnut Cake). Be sure to increase your dining pleasure by including local wines with your meal.

We conclude with a quick look at Trentino-Alto Adige wine. Trentino-Alto Adige ranks number 16 among the 20 Italian regions when it comes to acreage devoted to wine grapes and number 14 for total annual wine production. The region produces about 55% red and 45% white wine. There are eight DOC wines of which three are found in Alto Adige (one DOC wine is shared with Trentino and another with Trentino and with Veneto.) DOC stands for Denominazione di Origine Controllata, translated as Denomination of Controlled Origin, presumably indicating a high-quality wine. A whopping 79.1% of Trentino-Alto Adige wine carries the DOC designation, this is by far the highest percentage in Italy. The Alto Adige DOC designation is divided into several subzones. The most recent Trento-Alto Adige wine that I tasted was a Vino Novello (New Wine) that probably wasn't typical of Trento-Alto Adige wine but was typical of Vino Novello wine. The less said the better. However, there are several fine Alto Adige wines. The San Leonardo, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, is said to be quite good but is pricey. You may do well with a less expensive bottle based on the local red Lagrein grape, if you can find one.

About the author:

In his younger days Levi Reiss has authored or co-authored ten computer and Internet books. Now he prefers drinking fine Italian, German, or other wine, accompanied by the right foods and the right people. He knows what dieting is, and is glad that for the time being he can eat and drink what he wants, in moderation. He loves teaching various and sundry computer classes at an Ontario French-language community college. Visit his new wine, diet, health, and nutrition website www.wineinyourdiet.com and his Italian wine website www.theitalianwineconnection.com.