Trento Travel Guide: Alps, Wine & the Council of Trent

Trento is the capital of Trentino-Alto Adige, Italy’s most autonomous region, and a city where Italian and Germanic cultures have coexisted for centuries. The city is primarily known to historians as the location of the Council of Trent (1545–1563), the Catholic Church’s response to the Protestant Reformation that defined Catholicism for the following 400 years. For visitors, it is a handsome alpine city with excellent wines, easy Dolomite access, and a well-preserved medieval and Renaissance centre.

The city

Piazza del Duomo is the central square — the Cathedral of San Vigilio (where sessions of the Council of Trent were held), the Torre Civica, and the Neptune Fountain. The Romanesque and Gothic cathedral is architecturally fine; the Romanesque crypt and the 15th-century frescoes in the Chapel of the Crucifix are the highlights.

Castello del Buonconsiglio — The medieval-Renaissance complex of buildings that served as the residence of the Prince-Bishops who governed Trento. The Ciclo dei Mesi (Cycle of the Months) frescoes in the Torre Aquila are one of the finest secular fresco cycles of the International Gothic style in Italy.

MUSE — Renzo Piano-designed science museum about the Alpine environment. One of the best natural history museums in Italy.

Wine

Trentino produces excellent wines: Teroldego Rotaliano (robust red), Marzemino (the wine Don Giovanni orders in Mozart’s opera, produced locally), Müller Thurgau (from the high valleys), and some of Italy’s best Pinot Grigio.

The Dolomites

Trento is the western gateway to the Dolomites. The Paganella ski area is 30 minutes away. Lago di Tovel (30 min, occasionally turns red due to algae) and the Brenta Dolomites are the main excursion destinations.