Castle of Cles
Castles of Trentino
Trentino: a land
of mountains, of extraordinary views, of forests, of waterfalls
and meadows. And a land of castles: where there reigns a
distinctive atmosphere which you discern as soon as you go
through the massive entrance of a recently restored manor house,
walk through the lists where tournaments were once held and
enter frescoed rooms where the shadows might cloak the presence
of figures from distant legend;
castles whose ruins, encountered unexpectedly on walks through the
countryside, radiate mystery, their square stones bringing to
life the shouts of soldiers who once guarded the walls, the loud
cries of the grooms in the stables and the soft voices of the
knights keeping a vigil in the castle chapel.
This page proposes to take you on a tour of the history of
Trentino, with six different itineraries:
Palazzo delle Miniere
First itinerary:
the Val di Fiemme, the Val di Fassa, Primiero
The first itinerary concerns a part of Trentino that is somewhat poor in
castles but extremely rich in history. The reason for this
paucity lies partly in the strong character of the peoples of
this area and partly in the power of the Prince Bishops of the
Principality and Bishopric of Trento. Val di Fiemme, situated on
the north-east part of the Trentino region, extends over 35 km.
At the north east it leads into Val di Fassa and at south west
into Val di Cembra. The Valley is surrounded by the Lagorai
mountain range, the Dolomites Pale di San Martino, the Latemar
and the Corno Nero peak.
Not to be missed:
Cavalese: Palazzo della Magnifica Comunità; Pozza di Fassa:
Torre di Pozza; Tonadico: Castel Pietra; Fiera di Primiero:
Palazzo delle Miniere
Castel Ivano
Second itinerary:
the Valsugana and the Valle di Cembra
The Valsugana, together with the Adige Valley, was one of the main routes to
the north. In Roman times the Claudia Augusta Altinate road was
built along a route dating back to prehistoric times which
connected the Adriatic sea to the river Danube. Thus garrison
towers and observation points dotted the valley, over the
centuries being turned by the increasingly wealthy and powerful
nobility into castles (all standing on the sunny side of the
valley). Many are now reduced to ruins (Castel San Pietro,
Castello di Castellalto, etc.), but the line of communications
that linked them all into a defence system can still be
discerned.
Not to be missed:
Ivano Fracena: Castel Ivano; Telve Valsugana:
Castellalto; Borgo Valsugana: Castel Telvana; Lévico:
Castel Selva; Pèrgine Valsugana: Castello;
Civezzano: Castel Telvana; Fornace:
Castello Roccabruna; Segonzano: Castello
Castello del Buonconsiglio
Third itinerary:
the Adige Valley and the Val Lagarina
The Adige Valley
has always been a busy route in Trentino, linking the north to
the south, and used by the barbarians, by various armies and by
the Holy Roman Emperors on their way to receive their Papal
investiture in Rome. This valley has the largest number of
castles, with the fortified walls of Trento showing the
standards of excellence achieved. Around the year 1000 castles
began to take on an aura of romance in which they were seen as
symbols of absolute power and the landscape began to change as
castles-cum-villages were built.
Not to be missed:
Mezzocorona: Castel S. Gottardo, Castel Firmian;
S. Michele all'Adige: Castello di Monreale; Trento: Castello del
Buonconsiglio, Torre dell'Aquila, Torre del Falco, Palazzo
Pretorio, Castelletto dei Vescovi, Torre Civica, Torre della
Tromba, Torre Verde, Torre Vanga, Palazzo delle Albere;
Povo-Villazzano: Torre dei Gionghi; Besenello: Castel Beseno;
Calliano: Castel Pietra; Noarna: Castel Noarna;
Rovereto:
Castello, Castel Dante; Mori: Castel Albano; Loppio: Palazzo
Castelbarco; Avio: Castello di Sabbionara
Riva del Garda: Rocca
Fourth itinerary:
the Upper Garda area and the Valle dei Laghi
The Valle dei Laghi and the Upper Garda area were among the first valleys in
Trentino to be inhabited, mainly as a result of their mild
climate and the gentle contours of the landscape. Prehistoric
sites and Roman roads and villages paved the way for community
refrges, and three of the five fortified towns in Trentino -
Arco, Riva del Garda and Tenno - are found in this area.
Not to be missed:
Riva del Garda: Rocca; Tenno: Castello;
Arco: Castello; Drena:
Castello; Madruzzo: Castello; Sarche: Castel Toblino
Castel Campo
Fifth itinerary:
the Valle del Chiese and the Valli Giudicarie
The Valle del Chiese, on the border with the province of Brescia and somewhat
out of the reach of the Bishopric of Trento, for this reason is
of historical significance. Going towards the north-east you
come to the Inner and Outer Giudicarie Valleys, a trade route in
prehistoric times and inha bited from the time of the Romans, as
attested by documents and archaeological finds. This is also the
valley where the relationship between the "pievi" (from the
Latin "plebs" or site of the church), the community and their
respective territories is most discernible. Finally, it is also
worth mentioning that the whole of the Giudicarie valleys are
dotted with numerous castles, forts, keeps and towers of which a
few ruins remain or which are mentioned in historical documents
or in local legend.
Not to be missed:
Bondone di Storo: Castel San Giovanni; Lodróne: Castel Santa
Barbara; Pieve di Bono: Castel Romano; Campo Lomaso: Castel
Campo; Vigo Lomaso: Castel Spine; Sténico: Castello
Castel Valèr
Sixth itinerary:
the Valle di Sole and the Valle di Non
The Valle di Non and the Valle di Sole, although the second is the natural
extension of the first, differ considerably in their history and
economy. The Valle di Non has always been the most populated and
wealthiest valley in Trentino. Lying on the route between
Lombardy and the South Tyrol, its people were quickly granted
citizenship by the Romans.
The fortified manor houses of the
nobles are quite distinctive - rural residences crowned with
towers although lightened by Renaissance touches. In the upper
Val di Non, on the other hand, it is more northern tastes that
stand out, with the Gothic style being apparent in both the
structure and the decorations. On the whole the Val di Non
boasts the most elegant and important castles in Trentino but
many are privately owned and therefore not open to visitors.
Not to be missed:
Ossana: Castel San Michele; Caldés: Castello;
Brésimo: Castello
di Altaguardia; Cles: Castello; Màlgolo: Castello;
Còredo:
Palazzo Nero; Taio: Castel Braghèr; Vigo di Ton: Castel Thun;
Spormaggiore: Castel Belfòrt; Nanno: Castello; Tassullo: Castel Valèr
Polenta with cheese
Food and Wine
A simple cuisine, with Austrian, German and Venetian influences. Some dishes have
become renowned, for example the tonco del pontesel, orzetto
alla trentina, carne salada, strangolapreti or green gnocchi,
tortel de patate, oven roasted pork shin. But in particular
there are some typical and genuine products, such as the small
fruits of the forest, the chestnuts of Roncegno, the Vezzena
cheese and the ricotta cheese made in the alpine dairy farms.
The Trentino is truly devoted to the growing of grapes and the
making of wines, for both activities have been practiced in the
area for about 3,000 years.
The varieties of Trentino wines are
classical sparkling wines, dry and fruity white wines, rosés,
aged, bodied and medium bodied reds and finally desert wines and
grappas.
Courtesy and (c) of
ENIT USA
(c) 1997-2008 E. Massetti
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