Things to do in Trentino Alto Adige
-
Messner Mountain Museum
The rambling castle, Castel Firmiano, and its grounds are home to the Messner Mountain Museum created by mountaineer Reinhold Messner as the centrepiece of his five mountain museums. Based around man’s relationship with the mountains across all cultures, this insightful museum is configured so that you climb literally hundreds of stairs, giving you the experience of shifting altitudes. You’ll need to wear sturdy shoes for the uneven terrain and mesh walkways; wheelchair access is not possible.
reviewed
-
Castel Firmiano
A 20km-long bike path running mostly along the river connects Bolzano's castles: the 12th-century Castel Mareccio; the 1237-built Castel Roncolo, also known as Schloss Runkelstein, which is renowned for its rare 14th-century frescoes depicting scenes from secular literature such as the tale of Tristan and Isolde; and the highlight, Castel Firmiano, dating back to AD 945.
reviewed
-
A
Museo Archeologico dell’Alto Adige
The star of the Museo Archeologico dell’Alto Adige is Ötzi, the Iceman. The so-called Iceman’s clothing and equipment is on display, while his still-frozen body is kept in a separate, temperature-controlled room and can be viewed through a tiny window. Ötzi aside, the museum also has an important collection of archaeological finds.
reviewed
-
B
Pedavena
Bratwurst, tripe and hearty pasta dishes fill the menu of this Germanic 1920s beer hall adorned with wall-mounted stag heads.
reviewed
-
Terme Merano
For centuries Terme Merano has been Merano’s main draw. The spa was recently renovated and now revolves around a futuristic glass cube. There’s a staggering 13 indoor and 12 outdoor pools (including a seawater pool with underwater music), though only a couple of them use the town’s actual thermal waters. The range of treatments on offer is equally lengthy, with everything from a South Tyrolean sheep’s-wool bath (€29, 20 minutes) to multiday detox packages. The spa complex is also home to a restaurant and a four-star hotel. Though it has a staff of 100, treatment bookings need to be made at least one month in advance.
reviewed
-
Centro Visitatori Spormaggiore
The brown bears measure 1.2m when on all four paws, and over 2m when standing; they weigh anywhere from 100kg to 250kg, depending on the season. They’re closely monitored by park authorities via radio collars, and some can be viewed at the enclosure outside the Centro Visitatori Spormaggiore in Spormaggiore, 15km northeast of Molveno. The centre has some excellent exhibits about the bears’ reintroduction, including some cute displays for kids. It’s hoped that in 50 to 100 years there will once again be bears all over the Alps.
reviewed
-
C
Cathedral
Trento’s centrepiece is the busy yet intimate Piazza del Duomo, dominated by its stalwart Romanesque cathedral. Once host to the Council of Trent, the dimly lit church displays fragments of medieval frescoes inside its transepts. Two colonnaded staircases flank its nave, and the foundations of an early Romanesque-Gothic church form part of an archaeological area that also has some extraordinary Roman remains dating from prior to the first church. The town’s bishops are buried in the adjacent mausoleum.
reviewed
-
D
Fischbänke Pic-Nic Bar
A sign next to the speakers that reads ‘This is not McDonald’s’ says it all. Run by artist-host– bon vivant Cobo on the site of the old fish market, the Fischbänke has the market’s original white-marble tables that you can pull up a stool at for a glass of Tyrolean wine, and quite possibly northern Italy’s most beautiful bruschetta, while Cobo shows you his artwork, which includes a series of charismatic cartoon birds. Hours can vary if Cobo feels like shutting up early or (more likely) staying open late.
reviewed
-
Scringno del Duomo
Skip the set menus and you can actually dine in this refined establishment – Trento’s oldest building, dating back to the 1200s – for a good price. Tables in Scringno’s gastronomic downstairs restaurant look into a glassed-in Roman cellar that holds more than 1000 different wines. The rustic upstairs restaurant serves local specialities such as canederli di pomi con fonduta di taleggio (oven-baked dumplings with cheese) and lake-caught salmerino fish. Delizioso without exception.
reviewed
-
Castel Trauttmansdorff
Exotic plants, an aviary and a rainbow of 100,000-odd tulips (in season) surround Castel Trauttmansdorff, a mid-19th-century castle where Empress Sissi stayed while taking the waters at Merano. Inside the castle, the Touriseum charts the last two centuries of Alpine tourism, from Baedeker-wielding aristocrats to woolly-hatted snowboarding junkies. A garden-set restaurant and a cafe by the waterlily pond both offer a chance to soak up the lush surrounds.
reviewed
Advertisement
-
El Molin
Something of a legend in Val di Fiemme and recent recipient of a Michelin star (meaning it ain’t cheap), El Molin is housed in an old mill; at street level you can sit at small tables on high stools and dine on delicious fish, meat and pasta dishes. Downstairs, next to the old waterwheels, it’s a wonderland of stone nooks and crannies, candlelight and the concoctions of chef Alessandro Gilmozzi. Think local, seasonal ingredients embellished with a quirky, playful twist.
reviewed
-
Funivie Monte Ivigna
Some 6km east of Merano, the Funivia Val di Nova cable car, operated by Funivie Monte Ivigna, carries winter-sports enthusiasts up to Piffling in Merano 2000, a small ski station at 2000m, with 30km of slopes served by five chairlifts, a gondola and a couple of drag lifts. Skiing on the mountain is limited and is best suited to beginners. Bus 1B links Merano train station with the Val di Nova cable car.
reviewed
-
Al Penny
Sink into a big, comfy booth at this relaxed restaurant on the edge of Andalo to feast on traditional Trentino specialities such as spinach dumplings, and both lake and ocean fish. All the bread here is homemade – if you can’t decide, try a mixed basket that includes wholegrain bread, crusty white-flour bread and delicious still-warm potato bread. Al Penny also has a handful of rooms and apartments with prices available on request.
reviewed
-
E
Museo di Arte Moderna e Contemporanea
Housed in the regal Palazzo delle Albere is Trento’s small Museo di Arte Moderna e Contemporanea, part of MART in Rovereto. Works displayed inside the museum include 19th- and early-20th-century impressionist and symbolist paintings by Trentino artists, the most impressive being Luigi Bonazza’s huge triptych, La leggenda di Orfeo (1905). Look out for the colourful fragmentary frescoes on the walls, too.
reviewed
-
Castel Tirolo
Just outside the town of Tirolo, Castel Tirolo is the new home of the Castel Tirolo Museum, which spans the history of the entire Tyrol. In the keep you’ll find exhibits interpreting the turbulent history of South Tyrol during the 20th century. Many of the displays are rotated on a regular basis. The castle can be reached by taking the chairlift from Merano to Tirolo; trains and buses also serve the village.
reviewed
-
F
Castello del Buonconsiglio
Guarded by hulking fortifications, Castello del Buonconsiglio was home to Trento’s bishop-princes until Napoleon’s arrival in 1801. Behind the walls are the original 13th-century castle, the Castelvecchio, and the Renaissance residence Magno Palazzo, which provides an atmospheric backdrop for a varied collection of art and antiques and hosts regular temporary exhibitions.
reviewed
-
St Hubertus
Set in the superluxurious Rosa Alpina Hotel & Spa (don’t even look at the rates here unless you’re planning on re-mortgaging your house), the two-Michelin-star St Hubertus offers the kind of ‘event’ meal that you’ve been scrimping your whole trip to afford. If you’re going to invest your under-the-bed savings in one romantic blow-out, this could be the place. Try the local beef wrapped in mountain hay.
reviewed
-
Andrea Soraperra
In Canazei’s village centre, take time to pop into the workshop of traditional sculptor and toymaker Andrea Soraperra, where you can watch him make the enchanting toys and evocative sculptures displayed in his attached shop. Among his creations are typical wooden character masks worn in the Carnevale Fassano that takes place in Val di Fassa in February or March each year.
reviewed
-
G
Restaurant Walthers’
Take a seat on the terrace spilling onto Bolzano’s main square, or head into the cool, dark interior to dine on Asian- and Mediterranean-influenced dishes such as wok-fried tagliatelle with prawns, grilled tuna with vegetables, sesame seeds and wasabi, or spit-roasted veal. Don’t miss Walthers’ espresso mousse, served in a classic espresso cup and topped with fresh cream and coffee beans.
reviewed
-
H
Castel Mareccio
A 20km-long bike path running mostly along the river connects Bolzano's castles: the 12th-century Castel Mareccio; the 1237-built Castel Roncolo, also known as Schloss Runkelstein, which is renowned for its rare 14th-century frescoes depicting scenes from secular literature such as the tale of Tristan and Isolde; and the highlight, Castel Firmiano, dating back to AD 945.
reviewed
Advertisement
-
I
Museo Diocesano
In the former bishop’s residence of Palazzo Pretorio, dating from the 11th century, illuminated manuscripts, paintings depicting the Council of Trent and liturgical vestments form part of the outstanding collection in the Museo Diocesano. Admission to the museum also includes entry to a cathedral’s archaeological zone and treasury.
reviewed
-
J
Due Giganti
It sounds like an oxymoron, but it isn’t. At last, a ‘fast-food’ restaurant that’s tasty and not conducive to heart attacks. American-style fast-food franchisers would do well to send their researchers to Due Giganti to sample the fresh pizzas, buffet salads and regularly topped-up pastas. A height measure invites children under 1m tall to eat for free.
reviewed
-
Caffè Tridente
Look out for this unmissable joint in the main square (there’s no sign) open all hours to anyone with a student textbook and a penchant for cappuccino alternated with German beer. Later on, romantic types can be seen cavorting next to the grand central fountain, or pausing in the dark shadows beneath the church to exchange ti amos.
reviewed
-
K
Badia di San Lorenzo
Near the main train station, the 12th-century Badia di San Lorenzo, once attached to a long-gone monastery, is worth a look for its cross-vaulting festooned with red stars and its bronze statue of Padre Pio. The abbey was badly damaged by WWII bombing and again during the 1966 floods, but has now been faithfully restored.
reviewed
-
Monte Bondone
Travelling by car from Sardagna (as there is no public transport), 15km of winding road brings you to the small ski station of Vaneze di Monte (1350m). It is connected via cable car to both Vasòn (its higher counterpart where most ski schools and ski-hire shops are located), and to the gentle slopes of 1537m-high Monte Bondone.
reviewed
