Trentino South Tyrol - Trentino-Alto Adige
Geography en climate
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| Trentino-South Tyrol |
The autonomous region of Trentino South Tyrol consists of two provinces: the southern province of Trento (Trentino), and the northern province of Bolzano (South Tyrol). The region borders the Italian regions of Veneto and Lombardy and Austria and Switzerland.
The autonomous region of South Tyrol was annexed to Italy in 1919. The autonomous province of Bolzano is bilingual, but German is spoken by the majority of the population. The territory is very mountainous and is located in the Southern Alps or Dolomites. The autonomous province of Trento is almost entirely Italian-speaking, its territory is mainly mountainous and is bisected from north to south by the Adige river valley.
The cuisine of this region has more characteristics of Austrian cuisine. You will find sauerkraut with sausage, rye bread, potatoes, strudel, canederli and the most famous local product is speck. The deer, chamois or mountain goat meat is delicious. A typical pasta from the region is Spätzle. The most famous type of cheese from the region is Asiago DOP. Lots of apples are grown in this region, but also grapes (Lagrein, Teroldego, Pinot Bianco, Gewürztraminer) for regional wines and grappa. No less than 55% of the wines produced here have DOC quality.
The region includes much of Italy's main mountain ranges, the Dolomites and the Alps, and is ideal for an active holiday in all seasons. Lake Garda is partly located in Trentino, but many other smaller lakes such as Lake Levico and Lake Molveno are also located in Trentino. You can go skiing and snowboarding, hiking, mountain climbing and mountain biking here.
Dolomites
Airport(s): Bolzano (most flights to Bolzano are only available during the ski season). If you want to go to Bolzano, an alternative is the Austrian airport of Innsbruck. The alternatives to Trentino are Verona, Treviso and Bergamo.
There are two types of climate in the region, the continental climate and the high mountain climate. In this region there is rainfall in all months of the year. The average annual temperature for the region is 12° C.
In Trentino-Alto Adige there is little risk of earthquakes.
Food and drinks
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| Canederli with speck |
In the province of Bolzano you will find many beer breweries, the best known being Forst.
Economy and healthcare
The economy is dominated by the service sector, especially tourism. Agriculture, the construction sector and small and medium-sized industrial companies also have an important role in the economic structure of the region.
In agriculture, apple cultivation and viticulture dominate. About 10% of EU production or 2% of world production of apples comes from this region. In recent years, many companies have proven their worth. For example, Leitner in cable cars, Loacker in the food industry and beer producer Forst. Many companies from Germany have their Italian branches in South Tyrol.
The region is almost at the bottom (15th place) of the list of crime and theft index, with 3,415 (reported) crimes per 100,000 inhabitants, and therefore well below the Italian average of 3,816.
Healthcare in the autonomous Region of Trentino-Alto Adige is split into two structures, one for each of the autonomous provinces:
Azienda Sanitaria dell'Alto Adige (ASDAA) with seven hospitals, and Azienda Provincale per i Servizi Sanitari della Provincia Autonoma di Trento (APSS) with six hospitals. These are the links to the websites of the regional health services of Trentino-Alto Adige : South-Tyrol and Trentino.
Holiday Homes
In tourist places in the province of Bolzano, new-build homes are entirely reserved for residents. The quality of the homes in South-Tyrol is outstanding, but prices are very high. Trentino is more affordable.
Most beautiful towns and villages
Italy has hundreds of beautiful towns both inland and on the coast. Many of them are included in the guide “I Borghi più belli d'Italia”.
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| Vipiteno/Sterzing |
There are 16 towns of Trentino-Altro Adige listed in this guide. In the province of Trentino Bondone, Borgo Valsugana, Caldes, Canale, Luserna, Mezzano, Ossano, Pieve Tesino, Rango (sub-municipality of Bleggio Superiore), San Lorenzo in Banale and San Giovanni di Fassa. In the province of Bolzano (South Tyrol) you will find Castelrotto/Kastelruth, Chiusa/Klausen, Egna/Neumarkt, Glorenza/Glurns and Vipiteno/Sterzing.
The Touring Club Italiano guide “Bandieri Arancioni” also mentions the following villages: Ala (TN), Caderzone Terme (TN), Campo Tures /Sand in Taufers (BZ), Ledro (TN), Levico Terme (TN), Molveno (TN), Tenno (TN).
