Holidays in Trentino - Alto Adige
|
TRENTINO - ALTO ADIGE is Italy's northernmost region. It is bounded by Austria, Switzerland, the Veneto and Lombardy and riven by soaring mountain ranges. The towering peaks of the Alps and the Dolomites preside over forested wilderness, alpine pastures, meadows carpeted by wild flowers, vineyards in the foothills, and orchards in the valleys. It is one of Italy's loveliest and least spoilt regions.
Trentino - Alto Adige is an Italian anomaly: an autonomous region containing two autonomous provinces, a product of the region's checkered ethnic divide. Each is a province with the mentality of a region. Trentino is resolutely Italian, with a Latin soul, while Alto Adige is decidedly Teutonic and German-speaking. Alto Adige prefers to be known as the Sudtirol (in German) or the South Tyrol (in English).
The South Tyrol, which belonged to Austria until the end of World War I, still resembles the Austrian Tyrol and feels Tyrolean. Trentino, the southern province, prides itself on looking (and sounding) more Italian, though the subtle distinction is often lost on visitors.
TRENTINO: This is an inspirational lakes and mountains destination, with almost 300 lakes and a foothold on Lake Garda. The majestic Dolomites tower over forests, pastures and vineyards - or the ski slopes. Trentino lays claim to being Italy's most environmentally aware region, with pristine lakes, and a ban on motor boats. Strudel and dumplings do form part of the Mitteleuropean legacy but Trentino plays down its Austrian heritage. Tyrolean folklore and Viennese waltzes play second fiddle to the Italian lifestyle, from warmth to well-being.
Click here for a description of Trentino's attractions.
SOUTH TYROL: This is Tyrolean perfection, from the geranium-hung chalets to the onion-domed belltowers and long craft tradition. Like Trentino, the South Tyrol is both a summer and winter playground, with superb trails and ski slopes. The jagged peaks of the Alps and the Dolomites preside over forested wilderness, alpine pastures, meadows carpeted by wild flowers, vineyards in the foothills, and orchards in the valleys. Alto Adige may have an Italian passport but its spirit is Tyrolean.
Click here for a description of the South Tyrol's attractions.
History lesson: The Trentino - Alto Adige region is undoubtedly Italian but its strategic location has made it an historical pawn. Alcide De Gasperi, a legendary Italian prime minister from Trentino, once said: "Either you make history or you succumb to it". But these territories have been a borderland since the times of the Roman Empire. Later, as part of Mitteleuropa, the region cannot deny its Austro-Hungarian legacy.
Alto Adige (South Tyrol/Sudtirol) was Italy's reward for supporting the Allies in the First World War. Before 1919 the region was known as the South Tyrol (Sudtirol) and was part of Austria. In 1803 Austria annexed Trentino and, until the First World War, the Marmolada peaks marked the border between Austria and Italy. At the end of World War One, the region was ceded to Italy and Mussolini set about italianising it, from place names to colonisation by Italian-speakers. The creation of the Trentino-Alto Adige region in 1948 was followed by complete autonomy, which both regions have exploited to the full.