How to spend a weekend in Trentino

This article was produced by Traveler of the National Geographic (UNITED KINGDOM).

Trentin is a province of collisions. Sewn on the wooded stomach of southern Tyrol, just south of the Swiss and Austrian borders, its spruce forests and its opales of opales are shaded by dolomites: the mountains of the teeth of the Rose-Rose-Rose were formed when the African and European tectonic plates had an impact 60 million years ago.

For the ancient Romans, these were border lands, with the neighboring collar Brenner on the authoritarian border serving as a gateway for peoples, languages ​​and recipes on the other side of the Alps. Today, these influences can be felt in everything, generous stews served in Trentino’s frame restaurants at the former German dialect spoken in its distant mountain enclaves.

Although it is the ends of the province that attract the most visitors – the city of Lake Riva Del Garda in the south and the Ski resort of Madonna di Campiglio in the north – the eccentricities of Trentin shine in its quieter corners. Haunted castles, forestry art galleries and alpine vineyards are some of the strengths of the region – all at hand of Trento, the provincial capital.

Day 1: Ravioli and Renaissance Charming

Morning
Start in Trento, a city spilled by the waters of the Adige river, which was once a hub for merchants carrying silk, amber and spices from North Africa and the Middle East. This was its richness that its Renaissance facades were brushed by frescoes adorned in preparation for the Council of Trent in 1545, a meeting of Catholic clerics summoned by Pope Paul III in response to the reform. Discover the symbolism behind the best -preserved works in the city “painted” with the local tourist guide Sabrina Deprà. His walk takes you cafes adorned with hunting scenes in the 16th century to the great palazzos kept by stone gods, one, one, Palazzo del Diavolo, would have been raised by the devil himself.

Afternoon
Head for lunch in Scrigno del Duomo, where the outdoor tables look at the brilliant Basilica of Trento. There is an old Roman wine cellar in the basement, that the servers will gladly show you if you ask. Order the ravioli done by hand and, if the season is on the right, the risotto asparagus, ending with a slice of Sacher Fudgy Torte and an espresso before walking south along the river to Muse Science Museum, one of the best in Italy. The six floors of the glass structure immerse themselves in the history of the surrounding dolomites, prehistoric hunters who wandered its rocks towards the primordial fossilized sea monsters inside. Do not miss the gardens, where apple trees flourish under limestone peaks.

Evening
From there, it is a short hop for the Trento cable car. Open for the first time in 1925, its pods climbed to 1,300 feet above the Adige river, sliding the vineyards on the terrace of Monte Bondone to the city of Sardagna. The coffee at the top, Trento Alta, is a great place for a sunset overlooking the city. Order a “Hugo” – a cocktail of prosecco, soda, codial of elderflowers and fresh mint invented in Trentino -Alto Adige. Wait until the blood sun slips behind the mountains, then return to the historic center of Trento, after having booked for tender beef cuts and a strudel with apples with Osteria has the due bspade. The restaurant opened its doors in 1545 to feed pilgrims and nobles during the council of Trent.

Day 2: Strangled cobbled streets and priests

Morning
Take something puff pastry from SOSI Trento on Via Suffragio – a bakery darling by residents since the early 1920s – before taking a 50 -minute train for Levico Terme. On the shores of Lake Levico in the Valsugana valley, the city of Spa is best known for its healing thermal waters. It is also located during the Valsugana Cycleway, a 49 -thousand route connecting the villages from Pergine to Trentino to Bassano del Grappa in the neighboring Vénito. Hire Valsugana wheels rent a bicycle and follow the Jade Torrent from the Brenta River to the west to the city of Borgo. Venice in miniature, Borgo deserves to be explored; Thanks to its cobbled streets and the houses in the paint box, it was added to the most beautiful list of Italian villages in 2022.

Afternoon
Continue to Arte Sella, an outdoor art gallery placed deep in the wooded hills above Borgo. Going there on a bike is a climbing, then a break for lunch in Osteria al Legno, a wooden frame enclave where chief Elena serves Trentin classics like Strangolapreti – literally strangled priests – dumplings. Sufficiently fortified to the gallery, where the green mint meadows give birth to installations designed to blend with the landscape while they degrade slowly. Keep an eye on the Catédrale plant of Giuliano Mauri, a harvest of young beech trees arranged arranged in 2010. They were designed to develop during 20 years and have gradually merged to form the columns and arches of a Gothic basilica.

Evening
Make a visit to Castel Pergine, a medieval Hillfort, the hotel and the gallery north of Levico. While the cicadas are starting to look for, you walk among the flower jasmine in a tower in which the Roman Emperor of the 15th century Maximilian in which I slept. The adjacent palazzo baronale displays contemporary works of local and international artists, as well as artifacts in the history of the castle, including the first portraits of the Renaissance. Pergine’s permanent guest stories are also intriguing. Do not miss the “white room”, where a benevolent specter would have appeared to several staff members. Return to the world of the living with Arctic omble and the Panna Cotta at the Punchy Café at the Chandelles restaurant of the Baronal Palazzo.

Published in the June 2025 issue of Traveler of the National Geographic (UNITED KINGDOM).

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