Trentino-Alto Adige (in German Trentino-Südtirol) is an autonomous
region of northeastern Italy. The region covers an area of 13,607 km²
and borders with Lombardy, Veneto, Switzerland and Austria. It is made
up of the provinces of Trento and Bolzano. The Vetta d'Italia is the
northernmost point of the Italian state.
In addition to Italian,
in the South Tyrolean area the majority of the population speaks German,
while in Val Gardena, Val Badia and Val di Fassa Ladin is also spoken.
Spoken languages
The presence of many Italians who speak German
as their mother tongue especially in the Bolzano area determines a dual
language billboard in those areas. Differently in Trentino where this
distinction does not exist but where there is a part of the population
that knows German.
Culture and traditions
The Austrian
cultural and historical influence determines a very precise and orderly
character of the citizens. The cities show signs of great attention and
quality of life comparable to beyond the Alps. If in the northern part
people feel less Italian, because they mostly speak German, in the
southern part it becomes the opposite. There is also a detached and less
expansive cordiality compared to the southern regions.
Trentino-Alto Adige is made up of two different territories from a
historical-cultural point of view, the Autonomous Province of Trento and
the Autonomous Province of Bolzano/Bozen. The first is identified with
Trentino, the second with Alto Adige/Sud Tirol.
Trentino — It is
the southern area of the Region; it borders with Lombardy to the west
and south, with Veneto to the east and south. It extends from the
northern tip of Lake Garda to the northern border with South Tyrol.
Trentino is Italian-speaking, with a small German and Ladin minority,
and is headed to Trento. Its main cities, after the capital Trento, are
Rovereto, Pergine Valsugana, Arco, Riva del Garda, Mori.
Alto
Adige - It is the northern area of the Region; it borders Trentino to
the south, Lombardy, Switzerland and Austria to the west, which also
borders it to the north, and Veneto to the east. Its main cities are,
with the capital Bolzano, Merano, Bressanone, Laives and Brunico.
Trent — Capital of the region, its symbol is
the Castello del Buonconsiglio, the largest and most important
monumental complex in Trentino-Alto Adige. From the 13th century to the
end of the 18th century, it hosted the prince-bishops of Trento.
Andalo - Since the middle of the 20th century it has experienced a
remarkable tourist development, quickly becoming a holiday resort of
primary importance. The Paganella ski lifts and numerous accommodation
facilities make it one of the most popular Trentino resorts during the
winter season.
Arco — Between the mountains and Lake Garda, it
preserves the Castle, the palaces and the villas with which the
Habsburgs endowed it, who made it a place of climatic stay, recreation
and treatment.
Madonna di Campiglio - One of the most famous summer
resorts and winter sports resorts in the entire Alpine range, already
renowned in the Habsburg era, when it could boast of being frequented by
the Austrian imperial family.
Riva del Garda — Elegant center at the
northern end of Lake Garda, it maintains the atmosphere of a holiday
resort for the 19th century Austro-Hungarian nobility
Rovereto — Trentino's second city, is famous for
its Bell of the fallen
San Martino di Castrozza — Tourist center in
the upper Primiero valley dominated by the famous Dolomite group of the
Pale di San Martino.
Molveno — holiday resort on the homonymous lake.
Peio — One of the most popular spas, it is also a well-known holiday
resort appreciated for its lake.
Rabbi — More than half of the
territory of the municipality of Rabbi is included in the Stelvio
National Park, which makes it a place of great naturalistic interest.
Comano Terme - Locality in the municipality of Lomaso, in the Giudicarie
valleys, it is in a narrowing of the Sarca valley.
Garniga Terme —
The fundamental element of thermal treatments in Garniga is made up of
herbs harvested early in the morning in the Viote meadows on Monte
Bondone, with which grass baths (phytobalneotherapy) are practiced.
Vetriolo Terme — The highest thermal center in Europe joins the
establishments of the municipal capital Levico Terme
Pozza di Fassa —
In addition to thermal treatments, it has a well-developed tourist
organization as a summer resort
Caderzone Terme — Recently
established, its thermal baths are a further attraction for the already
touristically known Val Rendena.
Roncegno — It combines spa
treatments and climatic stay in a relaxing natural environment.
Levico Terme — One of the most popular spas, it is also a well-known
holiday resort appreciated for its lake.
Arco — place of health and
climatic stay already in the Hapsburg era.
Bolzano (Bozen) - Main city of South Tyrol is
its administrative and economic capital. Its historic center admirably
blends the Nordic architectural and urban characteristics with the
Italian ones, showing itself with a tone of stately elegance.
Brixen
(Bressanone) - City with an important historical center enclosed by
walls and gates. The Cathedral, its cloister with precious frescoes, the
Bishop's Palace give an elegant imprint to the old city, with
characteristic small villages that contrast with wide-ranging urban open
spaces.
Prösels Castle
Reifenstein Castle
Runkelstein Castle
Schloss Brunnenburg
Dolomites - The beauty of this mountain group has found its
culmination in the inclusion among the World Heritage Sites
by Unesco.
Lake
Garda — The Trentino tip of the lake includes the
tourist centers of Riva del Garda, Arco, Torbole.
Madonna
di Campiglio - One of the most famous summer resorts and
winter sports resorts in the entire Alpine range, already
renowned in the Habsburg era, when it could boast of being
frequented by the Austrian imperial family.
Adamello-Brenta Natural Park — Consists of the mountain
groups of the Adamello-Presanella massif (in part) to the
west and the Brenta Group to the east, separated by Val
Rendena. It is the largest protected area in Trentino. The
symbol of the park is the brown bear.
Stelvio National Park — Crossed in its western section
by state road 38 which passes through Trafoi and then
continues through Val Venosta, the park has coniferous
forests and eternal glaciers which allow skiing even in
summer.
Val di Fassa — It is one of the most popular
valleys for families for climatic tourism; the best equipped
centers are Canazei and Moena.
Val di Funes — Due to its
attention to promoting sustainable tourism and soft
mobility, Funes is a member of the consortium of the Pearls
of the Alps. Its valley is part of the tourist and
administrative area of the Isarco Valley, whose capital and
main city is Brixen.
Val Gardena — Its most famous
centers are Ortisei, Selva di Val Gardena and Santa
Cristina.
Val Rendena — With the centers of Madonna di
Campiglio and Pinzolo.
By plane
The only airport in the region is that of Bolzano where
flights from Milan and Rome land. Verona airport is about 100 km from
Trento and 150 km from Bolzano and can be easily reached from the A22
Brenner motorway.
By car
Brenner motorway A22.
State road
SS47 of Valsugana.
Provincial state road SP350 of Valdastico.
On the train
The region is crossed from south to north by the
Brennero Verona-Trento-Bolzano-Brennero-Innsbruck railway line of
primary importance and international scope which connects peninsular
Italy (from Verona it connects with the railway junctions of Milan,
Bologna, Venice , allowing connections with the rest of the peninsula)
with the Germanic world and the remaining states of Europe.
Line of
interregional interest is the Trento – Venice, known as the Valsugana
railway.
Local regional development are the Bolzano-Merano - Malles
Venosta lines; the Trento-Malé-Marilleva: the Fortezza-Dobbiaco-San
Candido.
By bike
Cycle path of the Adige valley
Biotopo Lavini di Marco (Footsteps of the dinosaurs at Marco), Lavini
di Marco, Rovereto. free. Free admission. It is a protected natural area
where dinosaur footprints have been discovered, and due to its
geological and archaeological particularity it has been protected as a
biotope since 1992. The visit allows you to see the footprints and to
understand the various geological and historical aspects of the area
through explanatory signs.
Lake Ledro pile-dwelling museum, Molina di
Ledro, Via al Lago 1 (Valle di Ledro), museo.ledro@mtsn.tn.it.
Buonconsiglio Castle, Via Bernardo Clesio, 5 (Trento).
Castel Beseno,
Via Castel Beseno (Besenello).
Lake of Lases (Lona-Lases).
Muse,
Course on Work and Science, 3 (Trento).
Trento Cathedral (Cathedral
of San Vigilio), Piazza del Duomo (Trento).
Palazzo delle Albere, Via
Roberto da Sanseverino, 43 (Trento).
Doss Trento (Trento).
Palazzo
Thun, Via Rodolfo Belenzani, 19 (Trento).
Piedicastello Galleries,
Piazza di Piedicastello (Trento).
Trentino events
Itineraries Folk Festival of acoustic, ethnic and
contemporary music, from mid-May to mid-August in Trento generally at
the Centro S. Chiara (see Trento page)
The Sounds of the Dolomites
High-altitude music festival, from the end of June to the end of August
in various Alpine locations in Trentino.
South Tyrolean events
Christmas markets from the end of November to the end of December
Dolomiti Balloon Festival in January in Dobbiaco/Toblach
Moonlight
Marathon cross-country ski marathon in the moonlight in January
Dobbiaco Cortina Marathon international cross-country skiing competition
in February
Sellaronda Ski Marathon cross-country skiing night race
in March
Appiano Castle Cavalcade in May, medieval riding
tournaments, food and wine banquets surrounded by 180 Appiano castles
Show Wines of Bolzano in May
Jazz Festival in Bolzano in June
Alta
Pusteria International Choir Festival in June in Val Pusteria
Maratona dles Dolomites cycling marathon that takes place in June and
touches many places in the Dolomites
Gustav Mahler Music Week in the
summer months in Dobbiaco/Toblach concerts dedicated to the famous
Austrian composer
Some of the regional products are:
Zambana asparagus
Terlan
asparagus
Val di Non apples
Val Venosta apples
Walnuts from
Bleggio
Garda olive oil
Among the specialties of Trento you
can find:
Potato tortelli (Val di Non)
Mortandela (Val di Non, not
to be confused with Mortadella)
Lucanica
strudel
Dumplings
(Knödel)
Stromboi (Strauben)
Roast potatoes
Orzetto
Storo
polenta
Tonco del Pontesel
Smacafam
Bro'brusà
Meuse
Zelten
Stink of Moena
Salted meat
Ciuiga
Press of the
Giudicarie
Vezzena cheese
Casolet cheese
Trentingrana cheese
Among the specialties of Bolzano you can find:
Knödel (dumplings)
Strauben (Stromboi)
Kaminwurst
Kaiserschmarren
Speck
Schüttelbrot (crispy rye bread)
Vorschlag - Segalini
Zelten
Meraner sausage
strudel
The following DOC wines are found in the Trento area: Casteller,
Teroldego Rotaliano (red), Trentino and Trento, the latter a classic
method sparkling wine.
In addition to these, the following wines
are also worth mentioning: Pinot Noir, Merlot, Nosiola (white) and Santo
(a passito from the Valle dei Laghi).
Also in Trentino you can
find Grappa (the one from the Valle dei Laghi is of high quality),
Parampampoli (coffee liqueur - Valsugana) and apple juice.
The
following DOC wines are present in the territory of Alto Adige: Alto
Adige, Delle Venezie, Lago di Caldaro, Valdadige, Valdadige
Terradeiforti.
In addition to these, the following wines are also
worth mentioning: Gewürztraminer (specialty of Traminer-Termeno, hence
the name) and Lagrein.
In some areas in certain periods there is a risk of avalanches, ask
the locals before venturing onto the mountain paths, otherwise it is
better to only follow paths that you know or be accompanied by experts.
In the woods you are likely to encounter wild boars, bears or other
wild animals which can become aggressive if they feel threatened by your
presence.
Crime, on the other hand, is low even in major cities.
Dolomite passes — The itinerary runs through the most scenic passes
of the Dolomites, where rock and nature are the protagonists.
Castles
of South Tyrol — A journey to discover the South Tyrolean manors which,
born for military purposes, then became largely refined stately homes,
centers of culture, examples of fine architecture, testimony to the
greatness of the families who had them built.
South Tyrolean Wine
Road - The itinerary passes through 15 South Tyrolean municipalities
(many of which have added the specification ....on the Wine Road to
their official name) and involves an area of Oltradige-Bassa Atesina
intensely cultivated with vines and rich in wine production among the
most important of the peninsula.
Trentino-Alto Adige is the northernmost Italian region and is
considered almost entirely mountainous with the exception of the Adige
Valley and the Valle dei Laghi below 200 m and therefore considered
plain. In particular, there are two large flat areas in the Autonomous
Province of Trento: the Piana Rotaliana and the Basso Sarca. The
mountain ranges rise to altitudes of over 3 900 m. In the southern part
of the region, near the Trentino shore of Lake Garda, the altitude drops
to 65 m a.s.l.
With its 13,607 km², Trentino-Alto Adige is one of
the least densely populated Italian regions as it hosts about 1,050,000
inhabitants for a density of 78.98 inhab/km², well below the national
average, ranking fifth from last, ahead of Valle d'Aosta, Basilicata,
Sardinia and Molise in the ratio between number of inhabitants and land
area.
Considering the orography of the territory, there are
considerable differences between the density of inhabitants of the high
mountain areas (where there have been phenomena of depopulation and
migration towards the cities of the main valleys) and that of the main
valleys, in particular the dell'Adige, where Trento and Bolzano are
located.
The region borders Veneto to the east and south-east, Lombardy to the
west and south-west, the Austrian Länder Tyrol and Salzburg to the north
and north-east, and the Swiss canton of Grisons to the north-west. Valle
Aurina is the northernmost valley in all of Italy and Predoi the
northernmost inhabited center located between the foot of the valley and
the Vetta d'Italia, on the Austrian border.
The region is between
the Central and Eastern Alps, while to the south the border is delimited
by Lake Garda and the Venetian Pre-Alps.
In the northern part of the region, on the Austrian border, along the
line that goes from the Resia pass to the Monte Croce di Comelico pass,
the Rhaetian Alps extend, reaching their maximum height in the Palla
Bianca (3738 m a.s.l.) in the Aurina valley, the Western Twin Head (2837
m a.s.l.) has been recognized since 1997 as the northernmost point of
the Italian peninsula. Traditionally, however, it is the Vetta d'Italia
that is considered as the northern end of Italy.
In the western
part of Trentino-Alto Adige rise the Ortles-Cevedale groups, including
the Ortles, the highest peak of the region with its 3905 m above sea
level, the Adamello-Presanella and the Brenta Dolomites.
In
Trentino-Alto Adige stands the western section of the Dolomites (Sesto
Dolomites, Puez Group, Odle, Sciliar, Sassolungo, Catinaccio, Marmolada,
Sella group, Latemar, Pale di San Martino).
Continuing south, the
mountains descend into the Pre-Alps.
The Alpine sections and
subsections affecting the region can be grouped as follows, in order of
section according to the SOIUSA:
Western Rhaetian Alps (Val Monastero
Alps)
Eastern Rhaetian Alps (Ötztal Alps, Stubai Alps, Sarntal Alps)
Western Tauern Alps (Zillertal Alps, Hohe Tauern, Puster Alps)
Southern Rhaetian Alps (Ortles Alps, Val di Non Alps, Adamello and
Paganella Alps, Brenta Dolomites)
Pre-Alps of Brescia and Gardesane
(Prealpi Gardesane)
Dolomites (Sesto, Braies and Ampezzo Dolomites,
Gardena and Fassa Dolomites, Feltre and Pale di San Martino Dolomites,
Fiemme Dolomites).
Trentino-Alto Adige can be divided into two large geological areas:
the predominantly siliceous one, which extends in the western and
northern part, and the predominantly calcareous-dolomitic one, in the
southern and eastern part.
Valleys
The main valley is the
Adige valley which extends from Merano to Rovereto passing through
Bolzano and Trento.
Other Trentino valleys are the Primiero
Valley, the Cembra Valley, the Fassa Valley, the Fiemme Valley, the
Lagarina Valley, the Lakes Valley, the Ledro Valley, the Mocheni Valley,
the Sole Valley, the Non (which extends both in Trentino and in Alto
Adige), the Val Rendena (with its lateral valley, i.e. the Val Genova),
the Valle delle Giudicarie (Valle del Chiese) and the Valsugana. Val
Passiria, Val Martello, Valle Isarco, Val Gardena, Val Pusteria, Val
Badia and Val Venosta are instead South Tyrolean
Val Monastero
extends in Trentino-Alto Adige and in the Swiss canton of Grisons.
The Brenner Pass is the main border crossing between Italy and
Austria. Other passes between the two villages are the Resia pass, the
Stalle pass and the Rombo pass.
The Stelvio pass between
Trentino-Alto Adige and Lombardy is the highest car pass in Italy. Even
the Tonale pass unites the two regions.
The Porte del Pasubio,
the Pordoi pass, the Valparola pass, the Cimabanche pass, the Monte
Croce di Comelico pass, the Valles pass, the Fedaia pass and the
Campolongo pass straddle the Veneto region.
The Mendola pass, the
Rolle pass, the Sella pass, the Furcia pass, the Gardena pass, the Monte
Giovo pass are internal passes in Trentino-Alto Adige.
Particular
is the case of the San Pellegrino pass which, although connecting the
locality of Moena in Val di Fassa (TN) with the town of Falcade in the
Biòis valley (BL), is entirely included in the territory of
Trentino-Alto Adige, as the border with Veneto is about four kilometers
from the pass on the eastern side and not on the pass itself. The
Vezzena Pass is similar, whose territory falls completely in Trentino
between the municipalities of Levico and Luserna but in fact divides the
Cimbrian plateaus (Luserna, Folgaria and Lavarone) from the Asiago
plateau. The real border is located just before coming from Asiago in
Termine.
Trentino-Alto Adige is rich in waterways. The main river is the Adige with its tributaries Passirio, Isarco (with its tributary Rienza), Noce and Avisio. The Brenta originates in Trentino-Alto Adige and flows into the Adriatic Sea, the Sarca is a tributary of Lake Garda and the Chiese is a tributary of the Po. The Drava originates in Alto Adige, where it flows for a few kilometers and subsequently enters Austrian territory, and is a tributary of the Danube. It represents the longest river that bathes, at least partially, the Italian territory.
The northern part of Lake Garda belongs to Trentino-Alto Adige, the
largest lake in the region and in Italy, divided between Trentino-Alto
Adige, Veneto and Lombardy.
Lake Caldonazzo is the largest
natural lake located entirely in the region. However, the largest
internal basin in Trentino-Alto Adige is the artificial Lake Resia. The
lake of Santa Giustina (artificial), the lake of Molveno, the lake of
Ledro and the lake of Idro (natural) also exceed 2 km².
There are
numerous lakes of glacial origin.
The climate of Trentino-Alto Adige has typical characteristics of the
continental climate and of the alpine high mountain climate, above all
in relation to the altitude. Based on the orography, exposure to the
prevailing winds, altitude and the presence of large alpine lakes such
as that of Garda, the climate can vary considerably, up to presenting
the typical characteristics of the Mediterranean climate.
The
rains vary according to the altitude and the orientation of the reliefs.
In general, the greatest rainfall falls on the highest hills and in the
southern and western sectors of the region, where the western and
southern winds that accompany the passage of the Atlantic perturbations
bring humidity: here the rains amount to 1200-1400 mm per year.
Proceeding north and east, the Alps act as a barrier and the annual
rainfall gradually decreases, falling below 1000 mm. Generally in the
valley bottoms it falls from 700 to 900 mm, but in the northernmost
valleys of Alto Adige, shielded by high hills, the annual rainfall falls
below 600 mm per year. Precipitation falls mainly in summer in the
Dolomites and in South Tyrol, while in the southern sector of the region
the rainfall peaks are observed during the intermediate seasons. In
winter, snowy precipitations prevail, more abundant on the hills.
Precipitation is minimal in winter.
The most frequent winds come
from the west and south especially during the intermediate seasons and
in the summer. Conversely, in winter the currents from the north or east
prevail, bringing cold and dry weather. The southern currents are mainly
responsible for the bad weather episodes. Characteristic of the Alpine
valleys is also the Foehn.
Summers are hot with values that
easily exceed 30 °C and that in correspondence with heat waves can reach
and even exceed 35 °C in the internal basins (particularly in the
Bolzano basin). Winters are harsh. In South Tyrol and in the highest
mountain areas, temperatures drop considerably below 0 °C and these are
among the coldest sectors in Italy, with extreme values even below -30
°C. Winters are also harsh in the remaining areas of the region, but the
protective action of the hills on one side and the mitigating action of
Lake Garda on the other considerably dampens the winter rigors. During
the intermediate seasons the temperatures undergo sudden variations, but
generally the temperatures are quite mild with averages between 10 and
15 °C in the valley bottoms.
Due to the climatic and territorial nature, Trentino-Alto Adige has
environments that favor considerably different types of flora. In the
southernmost strip next to Lake Garda, the natural vegetation consists
of oaks, chestnuts, manna ash trees and some typical Mediterranean
species such as holm oaks and laurels. Vines, lemons and olive trees are
also grown there.
To the north, hornbeams, beeches and maples
prevail up to an altitude of 1200–1400 m. Further up, spruce, larches
and birch trees prevail which above 2000 m give way to alpine pastures
and typical tundra vegetation due to the rigidity of the climate.
The valleys of Trentino (Val di Non and Valsugana) and Alto Adige
are suitable for the cultivation of fruit trees, especially apples.
Alpine fauna characterizes Trentino-Alto Adige. Chamois are quite
frequent in the area between 1300 and 3000 m, roe deer in the range
between 500 and 800 m. The ibex, already extinct in the past, was
reintroduced in the Stelvio National Park in 1967. There are also deer.
The marmot lives confined between 2000 and 3000 m (particularly in Val
Rendena, in the Merano area and in general in western Trentino). Gray
hares are found in the pre-Alpine region.
Among the carnivores
the bear and the wolf should be mentioned. At the end of the nineties of
the twentieth century only three bears were still present in the
mountains of the Brenta Group. The situation has recovered and the bear
population in Trentino-Alto Adige and in the surrounding areas was
estimated in 2017 at around 52-63 specimens. The reappearance of the
bear has aroused strong emotions among the population and a particular
interest in the media (in particular the Bruno bear, shot down in
Bavaria in 2006, and the Daniza bear, who died after being captured in
2014). The wolf, which disappeared in the second half of the 19th
century, returned to Trentino-Alto Adige in 2008. Since then there have
been some rare reports of its presence. At present, the wolf population
is around fifty. The presence of the lynx, considered extinct, has also
been re-detected.
Among the sedentary mountain birds are the
capercaillie, rock partridge and gray partridge, as well as black
grouse, eagle and eagle owl.
In the regional territory there is a national park, the Stelvio
National Park, established in 1935, which also extends into Lombardy.
Trentino-Alto Adige also has ten provincial parks, two of which are
in Trentino (including the Adamello-Brenta Provincial Park, which is the
largest provincial park in the region) and eight in Alto Adige: among
those in South Tyrol, the largest the Tessa Group Natural Park is large,
while the Sciliar Natural Park is the first park established in the
province of Bolzano (1974). The first provincial park to be established
in the region was the Paneveggio-Pale di San Martino natural park in
Trentino, in 1967.
There are also several regional reserves
(including the integral nature reserve of the Tre Cime del Monte
Bondone), special protection areas and other protected areas (biotopes,
including the Laghetto di Gargazzone Biotope) present in Trentino-Alto
Adige. Lake Tovel is included among the Italian wetlands on the Ramsar
list.
Archaeological finds demonstrate the presence of man in the valleys
of Trentino-Alto Adige after the end of the last glaciation, around
12,000 BC. Settlements in the Adige valley date back to the Mesolithic
era, the area most suited to human activities due to its climate and
central position with respect to the lateral valleys.
The famous
Similaun mummy, also known as Ötzi, would be around 5,300 years old.
This places it in the Copper Age, a transitional moment between the
Neolithic and the Bronze Age.
The Luco-Meluno culture developed
between the Bronze Age and the early Iron Age. It originated in the 14th
century BC. in the Adige valley between Trento and Bolzano and reached
its peak between the 13th and 11th centuries BC, above all thanks to the
extraction of copper, a material necessary for the production of bronze.
Around 500 BC. the Fritzens-Sanzeno culture, also known as the
Rhaetian culture, developed and replaced the Luco-Meluno culture south
of the Alpine divide and the Urnfield culture north of it. According to
the Roman historian Tito Livio, the Reti would be of the same ethnic
group as the Etruscans.
The integration of the region into the dominions of Rome took place
in the 1st century BC. The definitive defeat of the Reti, which took
place near Bolzano, occurred following the military campaigns in the
Alps by Drusus and Tiberius in 16 BC. In the 1st century BC. the city of
Tridentum, current Trento, was also founded (although some scholars
hypothesize a previous foundation, dating back to the Gallic invasion of
the 3rd century BC). The city became a Roman municipium between 50 and
40 BC.
On the occasion of Augustus' administrative reform, the
northern part of Trentino-Alto Adige was divided between the two
provinces of Rezia (Raetia prima and Raetia secunda) and Noricum
(Noricum), while the southern part which included the Val d'Adige up to
Merano was included in the Regio X Venetia et Histria.
In the
imperial age, Claudius (41-54 AD) understood the strategic importance of
the Trentino area and exploited Trento's position by completing two
major roads: the Via Claudia Augusta Padana, which from Ostiglia reached
the Resia Pass, and the Via Claudia Augusta Altinate which , starting
from the then important port of Altino, it rejoined the Trentino capital
with the Padana through the Valsugana.
The Roman period lasted
for five centuries and left deep traces in the region which was heavily
Latinised. The native populations developed a neo-Latin dialect in which
the Rhaetian-Celtic substrate, the so-called Rhaeto-Romance, merged.
After the year 400 AD, in late Roman times, Christianity spread,
increasingly influencing public and private life.
With the fall of the Western Roman Empire in AD 476, the region was
overrun by Germanic barbarians. This led to the inclusion in the Kingdom
of Odoacer and later in the Kingdom of the Ostrogoths (493-553). After
the fall of the Ostrogothic kingdom it was the turn of the Lombards, who
annexed the region to their kingdom. The Lombards founded the Duchy of
Trento, which also included Bolzano.
In 774 Trentino-Alto Adige
passed under the dominion of the Franks, who under Charlemagne conquered
the Lombard Kingdom, including it in the framework of the Carolingian
Empire. In the Carolingian age, by virtue of its strategic position, the
area was often involved in periods of turbulence due to the wars of
dynastic succession. With the Treaty of Verdun of 843, a part of
Trentino-Alto Adige, including the Val d'Adige up to Merano, was
assigned to the Kingdom of Italy governed by Lothair I, while the other
valleys, which often remained the subject of dispute for control of the
Alpine passes, went to the Kingdom of the East Franks where Louis II the
German reigned. In the long run, this division led to the progressive
Germanization of the South Tyrolean area, while the Trentino area
managed over the centuries to maintain its character as a deeply
Latinized territory. With the reign of Berengario I, the march of Trent
entered the orbit of the more powerful march of Verona.
Having
arrived in Italy following the call of Queen Adelaide, on 10 October 951
Otto I of Saxony assumed the title of rex Francorum et Italicorum in
Pavia and the following year he assigned the brand of Verona to his
brother, the Duke of Bavaria Enrico. Due to Henry's repeated rebellions,
Emperor Otto II assigned the march of Verona to the duke of Carinthia
Otto of Worms, who separated the march of Trento from that of Verona.
It was the Holy Roman Emperor Conrad II who granted the bishops of
Trento and Bressanone temporal power over their respective dioceses in
1027. The bishopric principalities of Trento (which included Trentino
and part of Alto Adige) and Bressanone (which also included territories
now part of Austria) survived until the Napoleonic secularization of
1803.
During the 12th century, the rise of the noble houses began
to the detriment of the power of the two prince-bishops. The Counts of
Tirolo succeeded in establishing themselves, a lineage that took its
name from the homonymous castle near Merano. It was Mainard II who gave
the Tyrol region the boundaries which then, with minimal expansions,
remained unchanged until 1918. In 1363 Margherita of Gorizia-Tirolo was
forced following political pressure to cede the county of Tyrol to the
Duke of Austria Rudolf IV of Habsburg. The Hapsburg era began,
interrupted by the Napoleonic wars.
The southern part of the
region saw a brief affirmation of the Republic of Venice, which began in
1411, when the Republic of San Marco, as a result of the will of Azzone
Francesco di Castelbarco, took possession of territories in Vallagarina,
in particular of Ala, Avio, Brentonico and part of Mori. Rovereto was
taken in 1416. In 1426 the Val di Ledro and Tignale passed under Venice.
Venetian expansionism did not stop and in 1441 the peace of Cavriana
sealed the conquest of Torbole and Riva del Garda. In 1509 the expansion
of Venice, defeated by the League of Cambrai, could be stopped and the
Serenissima was gradually forced to abandon the Trentino possessions.
The operations in Val Vestino (1510-1517) ended with the definitive
Venetian retreat.
The rebirth of the Episcopal Principality of
Trento, now strictly within the Tyrolean-Habsburg sphere of control,
took place in the first half of the 16th century, when Bernardo Clesio
(1514-1538) from Trento was appointed head of the Trentino diocese,
followed by Cristoforo Madruzzo (1539-1567, from 1545 cardinal). Due to
its geographical and historical-cultural position as a median city
between the Italian and Germanic worlds, in 1542 Trento was chosen as
the seat for the Council of Church Reform (1545-1563).
During the
17th and 18th centuries the Episcopal Principalities saw their autonomy
once again reduced in favor of the County of Tyrol.
The Napoleonic era also marked the history of Trentino-Alto
Adige/Südtirol. In 1796 Trento was invaded by Napoleonic troops and
following the repeated defeats of the Habsburgs, the Treaty of Lunéville
(February 9, 1801) established the secularization of the ecclesiastical
states, marking the end of the bishopric principalities of Trento and
Bressanone, which became part of Austria. Following the Peace of
Pressburg (today's Bratislava, 26 December 1805) the region passed under
the pro-Napoleonic Kingdom of Bavaria, remaining there until 1810. Some
measures adopted by the Bavarian administration, such as the elimination
of the Diet, the suppression ecclesiastical and religious holidays, the
obligation to military service and the heavy taxation caused an
anti-Napoleonic insurrection in the spring, then repressed, led by
Andreas Hofer. The movement exploded at the moment of the resumption of
hostilities between Napoleon and Austria; it saw the participation of
both the German-speaking population of today's Tyrol and Alto
Adige/Südtirol, and (albeit to a lesser extent) the Italian-speaking
population of today's Trentino.
The Treaty of Paris between
France and Bavaria of 28 February 1810 marked the annexation to the
Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy of a large part of Trentino and some parts
of today's province of Bolzano in the department of Alto Adige (it was
at this time that coined the term Alto Adige), while Primiero and the
area around Dobbiaco were aggregated to the Piave department. The
territory north of the "Napoleonic line" which went from the saddle of
Dobbiaco to Cevedale remained part of the Kingdom of Bavaria. The
German-speaking populations incorporated in the Napoleonic Kingdom of
Italy were guaranteed the use of German in all administrative and
judicial offices, as well as in all public deeds.
This
arrangement was swept away by the resumption of hostilities in 1813 and
by the reconquest of the territory by the Habsburg troops. The
Restoration of 1815 confirmed the end of the Episcopal principality of
Trento, also marking the definitive end of Trentino's political
autonomy. With an imperial license dated 24 March 1816, Trentino was
incorporated into the county of Tyrol, with a German majority. In 1818
the princely county of Tyrol, including the territories inhabited by
Italian-speaking populations, became part of the German Confederation.
Nevertheless, in today's Trentino the language used in public offices,
in the courts and in teaching remained Italian.
The arrangement of the county of Tyrol aroused widespread discontent
in today's Trentino, where it was believed that the Innsbruck
authorities did not invest sufficient public resources in their
territory and did not allow its citizens access to the highest levels of
administration.
In 1848 the Trentino claims of autonomy from
Innsbruck began. The Trentino representatives refused to participate in
the Tyrolean constituent Diet in Innsbruck due to the unjust
disproportion of the representation assigned to them. The term Trentino
began to be used to indicate the desire to separate the Italian-speaking
territories from the rest of Tyrol. Trentino's requests for autonomy met
strong opposition from the Tyrolean authorities and were never satisfied
by the Habsburg imperial power.
The Habsburg Empire, which after
the Restoration became the hegemonic power in the Italian peninsula, was
a powerful adversary of the Italian Risorgimento; however, this failed
to prevent the birth of the Kingdom of Italy, which was proclaimed in
1861. The process of unification of the newborn Italian state was not
complete, however, since many territories inhabited by Italian
communities, including Trentino, remained under Austrian control ; as a
result, irredentism was consolidated. Irredentism also involved South
Tyrol even if only a small minority of the population declared
themselves Italian-speaking, and found its foundation in the principle
of the natural border, since the South Tyrolean territory re-entered the
geographical borders of the Italian peninsula and the Brenner border
being militarily relevant .
The third Italian war of independence
also involved the territory of Trentino-Alto Adige, with the invasion
led by Giuseppe Garibaldi. Despite the Italian victory at Bezzecca,
Trentino-Alto Adige remained Hapsburg, while Veneto and Friuli were
united with the Kingdom of Italy.
At the 1910 census, the majority of the inhabitants of Trentino-Alto
Adige (Welschtirol and Deutsch-Südtirol according to the Habsburg
denomination) were overall Italian-speaking. In Trentino, out of 362,684
inhabitants, 96.4% were Italian-speaking and 2.9% German-speaking, while
in South Tyrol, out of 279,213, 83.4% were German-speaking, 2.6%
Italian-speaking and 13. 2% Ladin speaking.
Economically, the
Trentino-Tyrolean territory in the Habsburg era was a region based above
all on agriculture and breeding in small and medium-sized family-owned
farms, of which the smallest and most numerous were found above all in
the Italian-speaking part.
Regional agriculture had suffered
severely from the great agrarian crisis that began in the 1870s. To the
collapse in the prices of agricultural products had been added the
diseases of the vine and the silkworm, as well as the violent flood of
1882. The Italian-speaking part was the most affected and tens of
thousands of its inhabitants had to leave their land to emigrate to
Europe or in the Americas.
The recovery of agriculture occurred
only with the beginning of the 20th century. The cooperative movement,
mostly of Catholic inspiration and widespread among both the Italian and
German-speaking populations, played a fundamental role in reviving the
fortunes of regional agriculture.[28] The only industry of any
importance was hydroelectricity.
From the last fifteen years of
the 19th century onwards, the linguistic diversity between Italian and
German-speaking speakers began to become a cause for conflict. Symbols
of this dispute were two monuments: the one to Walther von der
Vogelweide in Bolzano (built in 1889) and the one to Dante Alighieri in
Trento (built in 1896). These were the effigies of two poets who wanted
to symbolize the link between the language of use and belonging to a
people and a land.
The national conflict between German-speaking
and Italian-speaking was not the only fault line crossing regional
society, the clash between the Catholic world and the proponents of
secularism (liberals or socialists) was equally virulent in both
linguistic groups.
With the outbreak of the First World War in 1914, a large part of the
male population, both German and Italian-speaking, was enlisted in the
imperial royal army. Constitutional guarantees were suspended,
parliament closed and the press censored.
At the beginning of the
world war, Austria-Hungary and Italy both adhered to the Triple
Alliance, which was defensive in nature and did not contemplate Italian
intervention alongside the Austro-Germans (who were the powers declaring
war). Italy initially maintained its neutrality, but in exchange for
territorial concessions including South Tyrol under the terms of the
secret Treaty of London, signed in April 1915, it declared war on
Austria-Hungary.
While South Tyrol was largely spared from the
war events, Trentino became one of the main battlefields (the conflict
also took place on the glaciers where it took the name of the White
War). The war caused considerable destruction and a real exodus of the
Trentino people: tens of thousands were displaced in the so-called
wooden cities in Austria (in particular Braunau am Inn and Mitterndorf),
large refugee camps in which many died of hunger and disease. The
refugees from Trentino found themselves in equally dramatic conditions,
coming from the towns and valleys occupied by the Royal Italian Army who
between May 1915 and May 1916 had to leave their land to be scattered in
various locations in the Kingdom of Italy. Furthermore, with Italy's
entry into the war, Trentino society found itself split by the conflict:
the Trentino soldiers enlisted in the imperial royal army found
themselves enemies of the irredentists who, like Cesare Battisti, chose
to flee to the Kingdom of Italy and enlist in the Royal Army. To this
must be added the political repression both on the Austrian side, with
the irredentists interned in the Katzenau camp, and on the Italian side,
with the Austrians punished with imprisonment.
Following the
Italian victory, the Treaty of Saint-Germain confirmed the passage of
Trentino-Alto Adige (originally called Venezia Tridentina) to the
Kingdom of Italy. This annexation sanctioned the dismemberment of the
ancient County of Tyrol (in the extension it had since 1814) and the
unification of Trentino and Alto Adige with Italy, i.e. about two thirds
of it.
On 10 September 1919, with the Treaty of Saint Germain, the
victorious powers of the Great War arranged for the division of the
territories that had been part of the dissolved Austro-Hungarian empire.
The following year, with the laws of annexation of the Venezia Giulia
and Venezia Tridentina regions (the current Trentino-Alto Adige region),
the passage of these territories under the sovereignty of the Italian
state was made official, thus incorporating into the Kingdom of Italy
also 220,000 German- and Ladin-speaking Tyroleans.
If at first
the liberal governments pursued a fairly tolerant policy towards the
German minorities, the fascist government which had taken over instead
pursued a policy of violent assimilation of the German and
Ladin-speaking minorities and a progressive Italianization of South
Tyrol, encouraging the arrival of immigrants from Trentino and the rest
of Italy (especially northeastern Italy). German-speaking schools were
gradually suppressed. The German-speaking press was largely censored.
The use of German toponyms was prohibited. Even names and surnames of
people were officially Italianized.
In January 1923, a Royal
Decree sanctioned the creation of the province of Trento (including
Bolzano) and the extension of Italian legislation to its territory,
which thus replaced the Austro-Hungarian legislation in force up to that
moment. The Ladin municipalities of Livinallongo del Col di Lana, Colle
Santa Lucia and Cortina d'Ampezzo were dismembered from the regional
context and merged with the province of Belluno, Pedemonte and Casotto
were unified with the name of Pedemonte and aggregated with the province
of Vicenza, Magasa and Valvestino aggregated to the province of Brescia.
On 2 January 1927, a Royal Decree sanctioned the birth of the
province of Bolzano, which was distinct from the province of Trento.
This new administrative configuration saw the end of Trento's role as
regional capital and the diversion of the most important investments
towards the new South Tyrolean capital. In fact, the creation of
establishments of the major industrial companies was encouraged, in
order to employ workers from all over Italy, many of whom went to live
in the large buildings built on the outskirts of Bolzano. In this way
the Italian-speaking South Tyroleans increased from 6,950 in 1910 to
80,800 in 1939, out of a total of 234,650 inhabitants in the province of
Bolzano.
Following the rapprochement of Fascist Italy with Nazi
Germany, the options in Trentino-Alto Adige were implemented. The
German-speaking population was forced to choose whether to become German
citizens and consequently move to the territories of the Third Reich or
whether to remain Italian citizens by integrating into Italian culture
and refusing to be recognized as a linguistic minority. The majority of
German-speaking residents, who had suffered severe political, economic
and social marginalization by the fascist regime, declared themselves in
favor of emigrating. However, the outbreak of the Second World War
slowed down the exodus operations and about a third of the expatriates
returned to Italy after the conflict. Among the reasons for joining the
options were the pressures and violence exerted by the local Nazi
organizations against the Dableiber (the German-speaking inhabitants who
had opted for Italy and therefore to remain in their own land), in the
substantial indifference of the authorities Italians who in the crucial
months for the options let the legend circulate that whoever refused to
move to Germany would be deported to Sicily. Thus it was that 86% of
German-speaking South Tyroleans opted for Nazi Germany (the number of
German-speaking Trentino citizens opted for Nazi Germany). In all, there
were 213,000 people, of whom 75,000 actually left their homeland. In
addition, the South Tyrolean optants of military age served in the
German army and law enforcement agencies, being involved, among other
things, in the Fosse Ardeatine massacre.
Despite the alliance,
Mussolini didn't trust Hitler too much and had several fortified works
built along the border: the Vallo Alpino del Littorio. Despite the
enormous effort for its construction in a few years (1939-1942), these
works, although some were not yet fully completed in terms of armaments,
were never used.
Following the armistice signed by Italy with the Allies, the entire
region (together with the province of Belluno) was established as the
Operations Zone of the Pre-Alps (in German Operationszone Alpenvorland)
with the capital Bolzano, de facto annexed to the Third Reich, even if
it continued to be formally part of the Italian Social Republic. Men in
the age groups from 1894 to 1926 were forced to perform war service in
the Order Service of the Province of Bolzano (SOD), the Trentino
Security Corps (CST), the SS, the Wehrmacht, the FlaK (German
anti-aircraft units) and in South Tyrol also in the police regiments
(Südtiroler Polizeiregimenter, including the Polizeiregiment "Bozen").
From 1943 to 1945 the Habsburg-Tyrolean territorial integrity that had
been shattered in 1918 was practically re-established.
The
violence of the occupiers acted unevenly in the provinces of the Alpine
foothills zone of operations. In Bolzano, the Nazis set out to liberate
the German population from the twenty-year pressure of the Italian
state. In the capital city they set up the Bolzano transit camp, the
last stop for the deportees from the peninsula before the extermination
camps of central Europe. In South Tyrol there were two different
resistances, one Italian-speaking led by the Bolzano National Liberation
Committee and one German-speaking led by the Andreas Hofer Bund; both
could do little from a strictly military point of view due to the strong
Nazi presence. However, their actions in intelligence gathering,
propaganda and support given to dodgers and deserters from the German
army should be reported.
In Trentino, however, the Nazi occupiers
encouraged local autonomy by appointing Adolfo De Bertolini (a former
liberal exponent who never compromised with fascism) Prefectural
Commissioner. In the Trentino area, the presence of large partisan
formations was not recorded, such as those active in the neighboring
provinces of Vicenza and Belluno (areas in which many Trentino
anti-fascists fought). The ban on rebuilding the fascist party, the
decision not to send young people to the front in the German army or in
that of the Italian Social Republic but to place them in a corps
considered local police such as the CST, the illusion of local autonomy
they were all moves that allowed the Nazi authorities to prevent the
rise of a strong partisan movement in the province of Trento. To this we
must add the killings and arrests that on 28 June 1944 beheaded the
Trentino resistance and the local CLN, leading to the death of
Giannantonio Manci who was at its head.
The Nazi parenthesis was
also marked in Trentino-Alto Adige by the extermination of the Jewish
population, by massacres against Italian soldiers and partisans
(massacre of Lasa, massacre of Malga Zonta, massacres of Ziano,
Stramentizzo and Molina di Fiemme, killings of 28 June 1944 in Rovereto,
Arco and Riva del Garda) and from persecutions against the
German-speaking inhabitants who had not opted for Germany.
Trento
and also Bolzano were bombed by the allies from 2 September 1943 until 3
May 1945. The Portela massacre occurred during the first bombing of
Trento.
After the end of the Second World War, the Trentino autonomist
demands, repressed during Fascism, were taken up by the Associazione
Studi Autonomistici Regionali (A.S.A.R), which claimed special autonomy
for the entire Trentino-Alto Adige region. The movement had a large
popular following and on 20 April 1947 managed to bring as many as
30,000 people to Piazza di Fiera in Trento. In South Tyrol, on the other
hand, secessionist pressures prevailed, already in 1946 155,000
signatures had been collected to obtain the annexation to Austria.
The De Gasperi-Gruber agreement sanctioned that the province of
Bolzano remained in Italy, providing adequate protection for the
German-speaking inhabitants of South Tyrol. On the initiative of De
Gasperi from Trentino, the Autonomous Region of Trentino-Alto Adige was
created on the ashes of Tridentine Venice, which was endowed with the
first statute of autonomy. In this way, the search for forms of autonomy
that had always been requested by the people of Trentino was crowned
with success, but South Tyrol's autonomy was weakened because it was
linked to an Italian-speaking majority. In compliance with the De
Gasperi-Gruber agreement, the first statute of Trentino-Alto Adige
restored the teaching of German and re-established bilingual toponymy.
Until the mid-1950s, the Christian Democrats and the Südtiroler
Volkspartei (SVP), the reference party of the German-speaking population
originally led by members of the Resistance to Nazism, collaborated in
the management of the regional body.
In the mid-1950s, following
the return of many optants from Germany and the re-establishment of the
Austrian Republic, determined to support claims, South Tyrolean politics
radicalized. The Italian government was accused of not fully
implementing the autonomistic agreements concerning the self-government
of the German-speaking population and of continuing attempts at
Italianization. The German-speaking press and clergy entered the ethnic
controversy by evoking a "death march" orchestrated by the Italian
government against the German-speaking population through
industrialization and immigration from other regions of Italy. To the
alarming figures, released by the canon Michael Gamper, which indicated
"50,000 Italian immigrants in South Tyrol in the last seven years"
replied a study by the Government Commissariat and the Central Institute
of Statistics which quantified the increase in the Italian population
between 1947 and 1953 in the figure of just over 8,000 units, linked to
the post-war reactivation of state and military offices and the
reorganization of public works. However, radicalization did not stop and
the line of the Südtiroler Volkspartei was dictated by new elements,
some of which were linked to Nazism in the past. In all municipalities
with a SVP majority (all of South Tyrol except then Bolzano, Bronzolo,
Egna, Fortezza, Merano, Laives, Salorno and Vadena) the issuing of new
residences for Italians was suspended; propaganda was made against
intermarriage; total ethnic separation was implemented in schools and
buildings between people of the Italian and German language groups; the
suspension of public housing works was requested since this would have
favored Italian immigration; the dismantling of the industrial area of
Bolzano was also requested.
Radicalization led to the birth of
terrorist movements: the Stieler Group, perpetrator of various damages;
the Committee for the liberation of South Tyrol, which also pursued a
massacre strategy that caused deaths throughout the region and also in
Veneto (Cima Vallona massacre). The Italian government responded to
terrorism with a massive military presence in South Tyrol.
Following new negotiations between Italy and Austria, the so-called Alto
Adige Package was signed (the set of measures in favor of the
German-speaking population) and in 1972 the second statute of
Trentino-Alto Adige came into force, which is still favors the autonomy
of the two provinces, which in fact constitute two autonomous regions,
only formally reunited in the Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol Region. Since
1972 the historical and political destinies of Trentino and Alto Adige
have followed separate paths.
As regards South Tyrol, the second
statute of autonomy handed over the political majority to the German
group and institutionalized ethnic separation through the so-called
ethnic proportional system. In fact, in the autonomous province of
Bolzano importance is given to the language of belonging (Italian,
German, Ladin), with a distribution proportional to the consistency of
the linguistic groups in the attribution of public jobs, public
contributions and assignment of social housing; schools (including
nursery schools) are divided according to belonging to the linguistic
group. All employees and officials of the Province of Bolzano must be
bilingual, ie speak at least Italian and German.
Nevertheless,
the terrorist attacks in South Tyrol resumed strongly in the second half
of the seventies of the twentieth century, to end only at the end of the
eighties. Alongside German-speaking extremist groups, in particular Ein
Tirol, in favor of detachment from Italy, Italian organizations also
appeared, such as the Italian Protection Association (Api) and the
Italian Adige Movement (MiA), contrary to the provisions contained in
the second statute of autonomy. South Tyrol's reconciliation was
achieved at the end of the 1980s and coincided with a long period of
economic prosperity, until the outbreak of the Eurozone crisis. After a
troubled past, South Tyrol is now seen as an example of peaceful
coexistence between ethnic groups.
The recent history of Trentino
has been marked by the two tragedies of the Cermis cableways (1976 and
1998) and by the Val di Stava catastrophe in 1985.
Since the
1990s, cross-border cooperation between the regions of historic Tyrol
between Italy and Austria has been strengthened. Together Trentino-Alto
Adige and Austrian Tyrol form the Euregio Tyrol-Alto Adige-Trentino, a
European cross-border cooperation group, whose meetings in the past also
included the Land of Vorarlberg.