TRENTINO ALTO ADIGE

Where Italy meets Europe central, between the The Dolomites pUNESCO heritage and the valleys crossed by crystalline rivers, Trentino-Alto Adige opens up, a region with a double soul and double language. To the south, the province of Trento with its castles, alpine lakes, and Trentodoc vineyards; to the north, Alto Adige—Südtirol in German—with its dark-wood farmhouses, the cities of Bolzano, Merano, and Bressanone, Tyrolean traditions, and a border cuisine of speck, dumplings, and strudel. A land where each valley has its own dialect, architecture, and identity, held together by the sheer beauty of its landscapes.

Mountains and lakes

The Dolomites, designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2009, are the undisputed symbol of this region. The Pale di San Martino, the Catinaccio with its Enrosadira at sunset, the Sella, the Marmolada—the queen of the Dolomites with its glacier—and the Tre Cime di Lavaredo are among the most famous and photographed rock formations on the planet. Lake Tovel, famous for its ancient red hues caused by algae, Lake Caldaro on the Wine Road, and Lake Resia with its submerged medieval bell tower emerging from the water are places of rare beauty.

Landscapes

The Adige Valley, the region's backbone, traverses vineyard landscapes of breathtaking beauty: vineyards climb mountainsides to impossibly high altitudes, producing Gewürztraminer, Pinot Grigio, Lagrein, and Teroldego. The blossoming apple orchards of the Val di Non in spring are a spectacle of white and pink petals. The fir and larch forests of Trentino cover over 50% of the territory and are colored with golden hues in autumn. The Alto Adige Wine Road and the Fruit Road pass through villages like Caldaro, Termeno, and Appiano, a succession of farms, wineries, and meticulously tended gardens.