Things to do in Trentino
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Pedavena
Bratwurst, tripe and hearty pasta dishes fill the menu of this Germanic 1920s beer hall adorned with wall-mounted stag heads.
reviewed
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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Centro Rafting Val di Sole
Centro Rafting Val di Sole runs rafting trips (from €39), as well as kayaking, canyoning, Nordic walking and other adventures. Sole also guards a flattish 35km section of the Brenta Dolomite Bike Loop and runs a special bike train June to September, allowing cyclists to step on and alight when they get tired.
reviewed
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Kusk La Locanda
Billing itself as Il locale piú trendy delle Dolomiti, Kusk is legendary throughout the Val di Fassa for its après-ski scene. This four-way split between a pizzeria, American bar, disco and Italian restaurant is where you can spend the whole evening, chomping on wood-fired pizza while dancing to upbeat Latin and jazz.
reviewed
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Tridentum La Città Sotterranea
Subterranean Trento can be explored at the fascinating Tridentum La Città Sotterranea. The extensive remains were discovered less than two decades ago during restoration works on Piazza Battisti’s theatre, and include sections of paved streets and the city walls, a tower, a house with mosaics, and a workshop.
reviewed
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Osteria Trentina
A favourite with students from Trento's university, Trentina's wooden tables, chilled music and art work make it a great spot to head early evening for a spritz (aperol and white wine served in a brandy glass with orange slices) along with free aperitivi (happy hour) fare brought to your table.
reviewed
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Patelli
A long, cavernous restaurant with waiters in waistcoats, and delicately folded napkins, Patelli still feels like the kind of place where you can wear Umbro shorts and get away with it. Traditional trattoria fare includes a memorably fresh gnocchi with chestnuts and pistachios accompanied by fruity red wines.
reviewed
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Agritur Fior di Bosco
For a bucolic experience, Agritur Fior di Bosco is a delightful agriturismo (farm-stay accommodation) serving organic farm products, including cheese from its own dairy (you can even have a hand in processing the milk). You’ll need your own wheels to get here.
reviewed
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Husky Pub
Set in the basement of the Hotel Croce Bianca and run by a young, hip team, Husky’s booths overflow with après-skiers sipping Husky Roska cocktails made from forest-fruit liqueur with vodka and crushed ice. Live-music performances (mostly contemporary covers) every night.
reviewed
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El Paél
An unfancy place with a reputation, this Osteria Tipica Trentina has a traditional Ladin kitchen cooking up specialities of Val di Fassa such as nettle dumplings with spinach and Vezzena cheese, asparagus with liquorice sauce, and venison with steamed pumpkin.
reviewed
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Al Volt
Since 1894 Al Volt has specialised in piatti tipici trentini ('typical Trento plates'). Choose from a couple of first courses and five or six seconds, and finish off with strudel della nonna (grandma's strudel).
reviewed
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Cable Car
This cable car, the only one in Pinzolo, climbs the mountain to 2100m-high Doss del Sabion (one-way/return €5/8, 20 minutes), stopping at midstation Pra Rodont (1530m; one-way/return €5/6, 10 minutes) en route.
reviewed
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Café Antermont
Handily situated next to the main bus stop, this woodcarved cafe is an authority on homebaked sponge cake with Alpine cream and a shot of espresso. Nearby, a fork-wielding Ladino cooks up German sausages at a roadside stall.
reviewed
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Palazzo Vescovile
The slightly less bolshie ‘Community’ is headquartered in the wonderfully frescoed Palazzo Vescovile in Val di Fiemme’s main town of Cavalese. The building is well worth an admiring look.
reviewed
