Trento

May, June, September and October are the best months, with warm days and mild evenings. July and August are hot and humid in the valley, with frequent afternoon storms, but the mountains above the city stay cooler. Winters are cold and mostly dry, with snow on the surrounding peaks rather than in town.

The biggest event of the year is the Christmas market, held from late November until early January. Wooden stalls fill Piazza Fiera and Piazza Cesare Battisti, selling crafts, mulled wine and local food, and the old town is lit up in the evenings.

Buonconsiglio Castle was the home of Trento's prince-bishops for centuries. It joins a medieval castle with a Renaissance palace full of frescoes. In Torre Aquila, the Cycle of the Months shows daily life around 1400; it needs an extra timed ticket, so book ahead.

Piazza del Duomo is the heart of the city. The 18th-century Neptune Fountain stands in the middle, surrounded by the cathedral and houses with painted façades.

Cattedrale di San Vigilio is a Romanesque church begun in 1212, where the Council of Trent opened in 1545. Below the floor you can visit the remains of an early Christian basilica.

Museo Diocesano Tridentino fills the old bishops' palace next to the cathedral. It shows church art, the cathedral treasury and a set of Flemish tapestries.

S.A.S.S. – Spazio Archeologico Sotterraneo del Sas lets you walk on a paved street of Roman Tridentum, several metres under Piazza Cesare Battisti. You also see the city walls, house foundations and mosaic floors.

MUSE is the science museum, in a building by Renzo Piano. Its floors follow the Alps from glaciers to valley floors, and it is very popular with children.

Santa Maria Maggiore is a Renaissance church that hosted later sessions of the Council of Trent. It is a short walk from the cathedral.

Le Gallerie are two former road tunnels in the Piedicastello district. They now hold free exhibitions on the history of Trentino.

• Ride the cable car to Sardagna: The trip from the riverbank takes only a few minutes. From the terrace at the top you look straight down on the city and the Adige valley. Go before sunset for the best light.
• Climb Doss Trento: A short path climbs this rocky hill west of the river to Mausoleo di Cesare Battisti. There are wide views over the rooftops and the valley.
• Spend a day on Monte Bondone: The city's own mountain rises above the valley, with ski slopes in winter and meadows for walking in summer. In summer, visit Viote Alpine Botanical Garden, with plants from mountains around the world.
• Cycle to the Austro-Hungarian forts: The hills around Trento hide a ring of 19th-century forts. Bus de Vela Fort, on the road west of the city, is restored and makes a good goal for a ride or a walk.
• Join the Feste Vigiliane: In late June, around the feast of Saint Vigilius, the city celebrates its patron saint. Expect costume parades, music in the squares and a raft race on the Adige river.

Trento is surrounded by castles, lakes and mountains, and many are close enough for half a day.

• Castel Beseno — about 25 minutes south by car. A huge medieval fortress on a hill above the Adige valley, run by the same museum as the Buonconsiglio Castle.
• Rovereto — about 15 minutes by train. See the MART museum of modern art and the castle with its museum of the First World War.
• Levico Terme and Lake Caldonazzo — about 45 minutes by train on the Valsugana line. A spa town with a large park and two lakes for swimming in summer.
• Molveno — about 45 minutes by car. A lake town below the peaks of the Brenta Dolomites, with walks and a cable car into the mountains.
• Riva del Garda — about 45 minutes by car, or about 1 to 1.5 hours by bus. A lakeside town at the northern tip of Lake Garda, with a harbour and a medieval old town.
• Bolzano — about 30–50 minutes by train. A bilingual Italian and German city with arcaded streets. Its archaeology museum shows Ötzi, the Iceman, who lived more than 5,000 years ago.
• Canazei — about 1 hour 30 minutes by car. A base in the Val di Fassa for cable cars and high mountain walks in the Dolomites.

Trento is the capital of Trentino-South Tyrol, a region of mountains and lakes.

Lake Garda and the Dolomites have their own guides. On the lake, Riva del Garda is the closest town to Trento.

To the north, Bolzano, Merano and Brixen are the main towns of South Tyrol. For mountain villages, look at Canazei and Ortisei in the Dolomites.

• By air: Trento has no airport with scheduled flights. Verona Airport (VRN) is the closest, about 1 hour by car on the A22 motorway. By public transport, take the airport shuttle bus to Verona Porta Nuova station (about 15 minutes), then a train to Trento. Milan Bergamo (BGY) and Venice Marco Polo (VCE) are 2 to 2.5 hours away by car. Verona Airport
• By train: Trento station is on the Brenner line, a 5-minute walk from the old town. Trains reach Verona in about 1 hour and Bolzano in 30–50 minutes. High-speed trains continue south to Bologna and Rome. Several direct trains a day run to and from Munich in about 4 hours 40 minutes. Trenitalia
• By bus: FlixBus and other long-distance coaches stop on Lungadige San Nicolò, near the station. FlixBus also runs from Milan Bergamo Airport.
• By car: Leave the A22 Brenner–Modena motorway at Trento Nord or Trento Sud. See the driving section, because the old town is closed to most traffic.

• On foot: The old town is small and mostly flat, and most sights are within a 15-minute walk of each other and of the station.
• City buses: Trentino Trasporti runs the urban buses. Buy a ticket before boarding at ticket offices, machines, shops or in a ticket app. You can also buy one on board for 2 euros. Validate your ticket every time you board. Trentino public transport tickets
• Guest card: Many hotels in Trentino give guests the Trentino Guest Card. It includes urban buses and regional trains in the province, so ask about it when you check in.
• Cable car: The cable car to Sardagna is part of the local network. It closes from time to time for maintenance, when a replacement bus runs.
• Cycling: The Adige valley cycle path passes the city and is flat and easy. Bike-sharing stations are near the station and in the centre.

• Is a car worth it?: Not for the city, which is easy on foot and by bus. A car is useful for mountain valleys, castles and lakes that have few buses.
• Parking: Use the covered car parks near the centre, such as the Buonconsiglio car park or Piazza Fiera. Street parking inside the blue lines is paid from Monday to Saturday, and you can pay with the myCicero app. Free park-and-ride areas outside the centre have shuttle buses into town.
• Restrictions: The old town is a limited traffic zone (ZTL), open only to authorised vehicles. Unauthorised entry is fined, so ask your hotel before you drive in.
• Winter: On all roads in Trentino, winter tyres or snow chains on board are required from 15 November to 15 April.

Trento's cooking is mountain food with an Austrian touch. Try canederli, bread dumplings served in broth or with butter, and strangolapreti, soft gnocchi of bread and spinach. Polenta comes with mushrooms, cheese or game, and apple strudel is the classic dessert. Local cheeses include Puzzone di Moena and Trentingrana.

Trentino makes Trentodoc, a sparkling wine made with the same method as champagne, and it is the usual drink before dinner. Look also for Teroldego, a deep red wine, and Nosiola, a light local white. The best areas to eat are the lanes around Piazza del Duomo, Via Suffragio with its arcades, and the streets near Piazza Fiera.

Trento is a very safe city, with little crime that affects visitors. Take normal care with bags in the station area and at the Christmas market, where crowds are thick.

Tap water is good to drink. In the mountains, the weather changes fast. Summer afternoons often bring thunderstorms, so start hikes early, carry a jacket and check the forecast. In July and August the valley can be very hot, so plan walks for the morning or evening.

The Romans founded Tridentum on the road over the Alps, and its streets now lie under the modern city at S.A.S.S. – Spazio Archeologico Sotterraneo del Sas. In 1027 the emperor gave power over the city to its bishops. They ruled as prince-bishops until 1803 and built Cattedrale di San Vigilio and Torre Vanga, a 13th-century tower by the river.

From 1545 to 1563, Trento hosted the Council of Trent. It met in the cathedral and in Santa Maria Maggiore and launched the Catholic answer to the Protestant Reformation. Shortly before the Council, Bishop Bernardo Cles added a Renaissance palace to Buonconsiglio Castle. Rich families covered their houses with frescoes, as you can still see on Palazzo Geremia and along Via Belenzani.

In the 19th century Trento belonged to the Austrian Empire. The Austrians ringed the city with forts, and it joined Italy only after the First World War. Cesare Battisti, born in Trento, campaigned for union with Italy. He was executed by the Austrians at the castle in 1916, and his mausoleum now stands on Doss Trento.

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