If you are planning to tour Europe, you should 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 Trentino; a companion article presents Alto Adige.



The medieval city of Rovereto whose population is some 35 thousand has had more than its share of warfare. In 1796 Napoleon won a bloody battle against Austria. In World War I Italian and Austrian troops fought a bloody, but militarily inconclusive battle. The Italian Historical War Museum was founded after World War I with the joint goals of commemorating the war and prevent future wars. Located in a medieval castle, it is perhaps the world's largest anti-war museum.

Trento, population about one hundred thousand if you add in the suburbs, is Trentino's major city. It hosted the Council of Trent stretching from 1545 to 1563 that marked the beginning of the Counter-Reformation. The Duomo (Cathedral of San Virgilio) is a Twelfth-Thirteenth Century Romanesque-Gothic structure built over a Sixth Century Church dedicated to the city's patron saint, San Virgilio. The Sixteenth Century Renaissance Santa Maria Maggiore Church hosted numerous sessions of the Council of Trent. The Castle of Good Counsel started in the Thirteenth Century next to the city walls. This castle includes the Provincial Art Museum.

Madonna di Campiglio advertises itself as Italy's number one ski resort. Its clientele is mostly Italian. The slopes tend to be intermediate, but there are slopes for beginners and experts as well. 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 that boasts 450 kilometers (300 miles) of mountain paths.

Trentino cuisine has an 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. Recently I tasted a Trento-Alto Adige wine; a Vino Novello (New Wine) untypical of Trento-Alto Adige wine but typical of Vino Novello wine. The less said the better. There is a wine called Pinot Grigio Trentino Concilio (Pinot Gris Council of Trent) but I have yet to taste it.