Travel in Trentino and Trento: in Italy along the valleys of the Southern Trentino

An itinerary in the Southern Trentino, among Medieval evidences, natural reserves and thermal villages. A trip to discover powerful fairy castles rich in history and legends. A visit to the city of the Council and to its roundabouts.

Along the valleys of the Southern Trentino there are some of the most beautiful castles of our mountains, castled on rocky unaccessible spurs and soaked with dark legends often mixing love and death, betrayals and trickery. The history of this region has always been conneted to the history of its castles, a symbol of independence but also historical evidence of a "border" region. According to the historian Aldo Gorfer there are 278 castles of which 68 are lived or used as museums.

In Borgo Valsugana, in strategic position on a spur of the Ciolino Mount, raises Castel Telvana (1207) which has always been object of violent struggles, sieged and depredated many times in the past. Now it is partially a ruin but it has partially been renewed and is inhabited by private people. It is also worth visiting the ancient centre of Borgo which is provided with many beautiful arcades.

Levico Terme, together with Vetriolo (1.500 m.), is one of the most known centers for thermal and mineral waters of the region since the first establishment was created in 1860. Its springs contain iron and arsenic, which is very rare in nature.

From here the street takes us in the High Valsugana, beginning in the tourist centre of Caldonazzo. Not far from the lake lays Pergine, industrial and tourist centre which is worth visiting for the beautiful palaces of via Maier and the Granda square with its Town Hall and the castle.

Trento, capital of the region, is the city of the Council which was held between 1545 and 1563. It is rich in monuments and in rests of the golden period of the city called of the Bishop Princes: 775 years long after Bishop Uldarico came into power in the first years after 1000, 51 prelates succeded to each other governing both the temporal and the spiritual powers. The most famous among them belong to the Mandruzzo and to the Cles families. From 1816 to the end of World War I Trento was annexed to Tirol.

Rovereto is the second town of the region as for dimentions. Thanks to the Bell of Peace it is also called the town of peace. This bell was smelt in 1925 with the bronze of the cannons belonging to the 19 countries that took part in World War I. But Rovereto is popular above all for being hometown to the futuristic culture man Fortunato Depero to whom the town has dedicated the Depero Museum, the first futuristic museum in Italy in which the volcanic activity of the artist is documented.

Vacanza in Trentino: vacanze tra monti e valli del Trentino

---