5th International Workshop on Grapevine Downy and Powdery Mildew

Notes on Tourist Attractions of Trentino

Here a list of the best place to visit in on a short holiday:
The given time is calculated without travelling time to and from the locations. 

TRENTO (1 day)

Trento: History and development

Already during the neolithic age, ancient populations inhabited the Doss Trento, the isolated hill standing more than one hundred meters above the plain on the right bank of the river Adige, and now crowned by the monument devoted to Cesare Battisti. That height, called "Verruca" by Romans, has been used as a military stronghold, while it is nowadays agreed that the roman "Tridentum" stood on the left side of the Adige , beneath the modern town centre. The square of the roman town had its decumanus underneath the present via Manci and via Roma, and the cardum ran parallel to what now is via Belenzani.

Abandoned at the beginning of the Middle Age by the citizen looking for protection under the Doss (paleochristian ruins), Trento has been slowly repeopled; but we may talk of a real population increase only starting from the age of vicar Federico Vanga (in the XIII century), when the new city walls reached as far as the stream Fersina to the south and the ancient site of river Adige (which by that time flowed where now are Torre Vanga and Torre Verde) to the north. In 952 Trento , already been centre of a Longobard Duchy and afterwards of a Carolingian March, was detached by the emperor Otto I, together with the whole Verona March, from the Italian Kingdom and united to the Duchy of Bavaria, starting the political transition of the land from Italy to Germany . Concerned about having always at disposal the ways to Germany , the emperors endowed Trento bishops with the temporal power soon after year 1000. The prince-bishops were immediately involved, as Empire partisans, into the War of Investitures and in the struggle between Guelphs and Ghibellines; the man who brought peace back to the region was that very same Federico Vanga, bishop and emperor's vicar from 1207 to 1218, who also begun the reconstruction of the Duomo (the cathedral). In 1273 the bishops were usurped of their rights by the counts of Tirol , previously the principate lawmen; from then on, the prince-bishops's independence has been only formal, since actually they became part of the Tirol County and followed its destiny.

When the Counts of Tirol extinguished in 1363, Trento passed to Rudolph of Hausburg. In 1407, with a revolt of the people, the prior privileges were recovered temporarily; but the people captain Rodolfo Belenzani, who was relying on Venice aid, was defeated and killed. During the following years, Venice expansionism forced more and more Trento towards the Empire; in 1511, reconquered Rovereto, the bishop signed with Maximilian I a treaty for protection. From 1516 to 1539 Trento had been governed by cardinal Bernardo Clesio, who gave to the city that renaissance look which is still characteristic of the central streets; he built the new palace at Buonconsiglio Castle and the church of S. Maria Maggiore, and prepared the famous Council which, in different session, was held between 1545 and 1563, mostly in the Duomo and in S. Maria Maggiore. The town then reached her maximum splendour, under the guide of the bishops of Madruzzo family who had the power for more than a century.

The following ages are remembered only for the Spanish Succession campaigns, during which Trento was ineffectively sieged by marshal VENDÔME, the french again occupations of 1796 and 1801 (the secularizazion of the principate dates 1802), the brief unions with Bavaria (1806-1809) and with the napoleonic Italian Kingdom (1810-1813); then, the long last century of Austria domain, during which a strong economical and urbanistic growth took place: the flow of river Adige was deviated, while the city has ever since been enlarged, to the north and expecially to the south, up to the last world conflict, with residential quarters and industrial plants.

Interesting sites in Trento:

• PIAZZA DELLA FIERA
• TRIDENTINE NATURAL SCIENCE
• PIAZZA DEL DUOMO*
• DUOMO**
• PALAZZO PRETORIO
• MUSEO DIOCESANO
• VIA BELENZANI*
• CASTELLO DEL BUONCONSIGLIO***
• PIAZZA RAFFAELLO SANZIO
• PIAZZA DANTE
• PALAZZO DELLE ALBERE
• TORRE VANGA
•  

DOLOMITES , giro dei 4 passi “Sella Runde” (1 day)

When you go back to the beautiful scenery of the Dolomites (the paradise for tourist: Val Gardena - Gröden, Alta Badia - Val Badia, Val di Fassa, Arabba, Alpe di Siusi, Cortina d'Ampezzo, Catinaccio - Latemar, part of the Val d'Isarco, Val Pusteria and the vicinity of Bolzano), you come to realise the immensity of these majestic mountains, helping to combat stress and making us come to terms with the beauty and authenticity of nature surrounding us.

The first rays of the morning sun shinning on the mountain tops, in summer forcing the wonderful alpine flowers into bloom on the surrounding pastures and in winter shinning on the snow covered mountains. The final sun rays in the evening, a symphony of colour resulting in a rosy alpenglow, typical of a Dolomite sunset.

Several ski valleys are connected with each other in this wonderful mountainous paradise, offering a breathtaking scenery from many different angles. The well marked footpaths and the possibility of mountain climbing, with make your stay an unforgettable experience. (more on: http://www.dolomiti.it/eng/ , http://www.dolomitesworld.com/).

VAL DI FIEMME E VAL DI FASSA (1 day)

Wonderful place for winter skiing and summer trekking.
(more on: http://www.aptfiemme.tn.it/en/index.htm and http://www.fassa.com/cms-01.00/articolo.asp?IDcms=6396&s=274&l=EN)

ROVERETO (1/2 day)

Rovereto has a relevant position in cultural environment, in fact an important part of the Italian Futurism and the architectural rationalism were borned here.
Rovereto gives a real sense of Peace, this is reinforced every evening with its hundred tollings on the Miravalle Hill by "Maria Dolens", an enormous bell fused with the bronze from the cannons of the war.
But peace at Rovereto, can also be found along remote, quiet lanes; strolling through the vineyards and wineries under the shadow of old castles.
Peace can also be found by discovering the futuristic forms and colours in the new Museum of Modern art (Mart), or in antique shops, or in the Zandonai Theatre.
(more on: http://www.apt.rovereto.tn.it/welcome.htm)
MART, Museaus of Modern Art (more on http://www.mart.tn.it/).

Castel Beseno ( Beseno Castle ) (2 hours)

In the way between Trento and Rovereto on a hill with a whole view on the Adige Valley there is Castel Beseno.
(more on http://www.apt.rovereto.tn.it/castles4.htm).

RIVA DEL GARDA and ARCO (1/2 day)

Lake Garda , in Riva, is uniquely charming. The water is deeper blue, the sunlight is more intense and the air, invigorated by the nearby mountains is clearer. Riva is surrounded by a rich Mediterranean vegetation: olive-lemon-palm and laurel trees which brighten up the changing of the season. Here in Riva, where the lake comes to an end making room for imposing Dolomites of Brenta, the tourist can savour the pleasure of a holiday made from a thousand ingredients: history, art, sports and nature as well as welcome and highly professional holiday accomodation.
(more on http://www.rivadelgarda.com/eng/PlacesToGo/Riva-del-Garda/)

Arco is an elegant country town 5 kilometers far from the Northern Garda Lake; it keeps unchanged the traces of past times rich in history, whose roots has to be found in ancient ages. It is surrounded by parks and gardens and enjoys a very mild climate, thanks to which it became a famous winter health resort in the Nineteenth Century for the European aristocracy.
(more on http://www.rivadelgarda.com/eng/PlacesToGo/Arco/)

Castel Toblino (Toblino Castle) (open only to the hosts of the restaurant http://www.casteltoblino.com/)
Renowned for the romantic legends associated with it, and as the pleasure retreat of the episcopal court, Castel Toblino is a rare example, in Trentino, of lake fortification.

VAL DI NON (1/2 day)

The Valle di Non, in the western part Trentino, or the Anaunia, which is its historical-literary name, is illuminated, hilly and full of life. Its mountains have no limits and tend to widen the valley; the horizon is distant.
The plateaus rise gently, the rich apple orchards gradually make way for the thick coniferous forests, from sunny meadows to majestic mountains. These mountains surround and protect the territory from cold, northerly winds and assure a gentle a favourable climate.
(more on http://www.valledinon.tn.it/Inglese/valle.htm)

Santuario di S. Romedio (2 hours)

(732 m.) (St. Romedio's Sanctuary), which rises on a rock peak in a wild gorge. It is a bold group of buildings divided into 5 churches and 7 chapels and built from the 11th and 12th century in memory of the noble Romedio's hermitage. In an enclosed park outside the sanctuary there live four brown bears. Go back to Sanzeno and follow the direction towards
(more on http://www.valledinon.tn.it/Inglese/inauto.htm)

ALTOPIANO DI PINE' (1/2 day)
The district of Baselga di Piné (Plateau of Piné) is famous for the beautiful forests and enchanting lakes, like Lake Serraia.
(more on http://www.aptpinecembra.it/HomepagePin_eng.htm)

Close to Trentino you can also visit ALTO ADIGE (the other autonomous Province, that with Trentino constitutes the Region Trentino-Alto Adige):

Beautiful cities are BOLZANO , MERANO and STERZING/VIPITENO.
(more on http://www.provincia.bz.it/english/default.htm, http://www.kellereibozen.com/en/sehenswertes.php ).