Trentino-Alto Adige Overview

The Mediterranean feel of Italy’s southern and eastern regions fades under Germanic influences in the jagged peaks of the Dolomites in Trentino-Alto Adige (tren-TEE-noh AL-toh ah-DEE-jay). One glance at the conifers and snow-covered peaks of Le Dolomiti (leh doh-loh-MEE-tee) explains why backpackers and skiers still swarm the area. At the onset of the 19th century, Napoleon conquered this part of the Holy Roman Empire, but eventually relinquished it to the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Trentino and the Südtirol (South Tyrol) came under Italian control at the end of WWI, a transition that created hybridized linguistic patterns and cultural traditions. Though Germany thwarted Mussolini’s brutal efforts to Italianize the region, Benito did manage to give every German name an Italian equivalent, which explains the dual street and town names used today. From wurst stands in Bolzano’s piazze to the German-speaking locals in Bressanone, Trentino-Alto Adige’s Germanic aura bears witness to a deep-rooted Austrian culture, which still thrives today.

Discover Il Mart, Italy’s largest modern art museum, in Rovereto, housing over 12,000 pieces by masters such as Warhol, Lichtenstein, and Rosenquist .
Chill Out with Bolzano’s Ötzi the Iceman from the 4th millennium BC .
Change It Up with Germanic flair in Bressanone, which borders Austria .

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