Trento, in English rarely called Trent, Italian Trento (TREN-to), German Trient (tree-ENT), Latin Tridentum (the Latin form is the source of the adjective Tridentine) is located in the Adige river valley in the Italy region of Trentino-Alto Adige. It is the capital of the region and of the autonomous province of Trento.
The city
Originally a Celtic city, Trento was later conquered by the Romans in the first Century BC. In 1027, the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, Conrad II created the Prince-Bishop of Trento, who wielded both temporal and religious powers.
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Trento became famous for the Council of Trent (1545-1563) which gave rise to the Counter-Reformation. The adjective Tridentine literally means pertaining to Trento, but because of the Tridentine Council, can also refer to this specific event. Among the famous prince bishops of this time were Bernardo Clesio (who ruled the city 1514-1539, and managed to steer the Council to Trento) and Cristoforo Madruzzo (who ruled 1539-1567, during the Council), both able European politicians and Renaissance humanists, who greatly expanded and embellished the city. Prince bishops ruled Trento until Napoleon conquered the city in 1801. In 1814, Trento was assigned to the Habsburg Empire.
During the late 19th Century Trento and Trieste, Italian cities still belonging to the Austrians, became icons of the national unification movement. Benito Mussolini briefly joined the staff of a local newspaper in 1908. The nationalist cause led Italy into World War I. Fabio Filzi and Cesare Battisti were two well-known local irredentists who had joined the Italian army to fight against Austria-Hungary with the aim of bringing Trento and its territory into the newly founded Kingdom of Italy. The two men were taken prisoners during Austro-Italian fightings at the nearby southern front. Taken to Trento, they were put on trial for high treason and executed. Their death caused an emotional stirr up and was later used by the Italian government to rhetorically celebrate the "liberation of Trento." The region was greatly affected during the war, and some of its fiercest battles were fought on the surrounding mountains. After WW I Trento, and its Italian-speaking province, along with Bolzano and the part of Tyrol that stretched south of the Alpine watershed (which was German speaking) were annexed by Italy. During World War II after the overthrow of Mussolini, Trento briefly reverted back to Austria as part of Hitler's greater Germany.
Starting from the 1950's the region has enjoyed prosperous growth, thanks in part to its special autonomy from the central Italian government.
Society and Economy
Eight centuries of Prince-Bishop rulers, relative independence from the rest of Europe and a strong sense of communal fate left a distinctive mark on the city's culture, which is dominated by a progressive Social-Catholic political orientation.
The city owes much of its unique history to its position along the main communication route between Italy and Northern Europe and to the Adige river which prior to its diversion in the 19th century ran through the center of the city. The Adige river was formerly a navigable river and one of the main commercial routes in the Alps. The original course of the river is now covered by the Via Torre Vanga, Via Torre Verde and the Via Alessandro Manzoni.
Today Trento thrives on services, tourism, high-quality agricolture and food industry, a small but renowned university, and as logistics and transportation throughfare.
The 2001 population of the city is 104,946. The population lives in a province that is almost completely mountainous, and has an area of 6,207 km2 and a 2001 population of 477,017.
Things To See
Trento's architecture has a unique feel, with both Italian Renaissance and Germanic influences. The city center is small, and most Late-Medieval and Renaissance buildings have been restored to their original pastel colours and wooden balconies. Part of the medieval city walls is still visible in Piazza Fiera, along with a circular tower. Once, these walls encircled the whole town and were connected to the Castello del Buonconsiglio.
The main monuments of the city include:
- the Duomo (Cathedral of Saint Vigilio), a Romanesque-Gothic cathedral of the twelfth-thirteenth century, built on a late-Roman basilica (viewable in an underground crypt),
- piazza Duomo, on the side of the Cathedral, with frescoed Renaissance buildings and a neoclassic fountain of the Neptune,
- the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore (1520),
- the Castello del Buonconsiglio, which includes a museum and the famous Torre dell'Aquila, with a cycle of fine Renaissance frescoes depicting the months, commissioned by B. Clesio,
- the Palazzo delle Albere, a Renaissance villa next to the Adige river, now hosting a modern art museum,
- various underground remains of the streets and villas of the Roman city, and
- the monument to Cesare Battisti, a circular colonnade on the Verruca hill west of the city (Roman ruins are also found on the hill).
Trento also sports noteworthy modernist architecture, including the train station and the central post office, both by futurist architect Angiolo Mazzoni (1894-1979), the Grand Hotel (by G. Lorenzi) with some guest rooms furnished with futurist furniture by Fortunato Depero, and the "R. Sanzio" Primary School build by Adalberto Libera in 1931-34.
An important museum of modern art (Museo d'Arte di Trento e Rovereto) is located in the nearby town of Rovereto.
Trento's surroundings are known for the beautiful mountain landscapes, and are the destination of both summer and winter tourism.
Trento is also the venue of a popular Mountain Film Festival
Famous natives of Trento
In addition to the aforementioned Bernardo Clesio and Cristoforo Madruzzo, Giacomo Aconzio was born in Trento. Kurt von Schuschnigg was born in Riva del Garda, in the Trentino region.
Fortunato Depero, futurist artist and one of the founders of the futurist movement in Italy, was born in Fondo in 1892, close to Trento. Giovanni Segantini, Italian Art Nouveau painter, was born in Arco in 1858.
Alcide De Gasperi, post-war statesman and one of the founding fathers of the European Union, was born in Pieve Tesino, then in the province of Trento still part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
See also Simon of Trent.
Geography
Trento (elev. 192m) lies in a wide valley, where the Fersina and the Avisio rivers join the Adige (the second longest river in Italy). The city is surrounded by high mountains, including the Monte Bondone (2099m), the Paganella (2125m), the Chegul (1454m), and the Monte Calisio (1096m). Nearby lakes include the Lago di Caldonazzo, Lago di Levico, Lago di Garda and Lago di Toblino.
Communications
Highway A22-E45 to Verona and to Bolzano/Bozen, Innsbruck and Munich. Railway (main connection between Italy and Germany; direct train to Venice). Bus or train service to the main surrounding valleys: Fassa, Fiemme, Gudicarie, Non, Primiero, Rendena, Sole, Tesino, Valsugana.