The
Province of Trento , often referred simply as
Trentino, is an
autonomousAn autonomous area is an area of a country that has a degree of autonomy, or freedom from an external authority. Typically it is either geographically distinct from the country or is populated by a national minority. Countries that include autonomous areas are often federacies...
provinceIn Italy, a province is an administrative division of intermediate level between municipality and region .||...
of
ItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia. Italy shares its northern, Alpine boundary with France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia...
). In the local languages, typically the word
Trentin is used. The territory of the province equals to southern part of historic Trentino region .
The Province of Trento is one of the two provinces which make up
Italy's regionThe Regions of Italy are the first-level administrative divisions of the state. There are twenty regions, five of them are constitutionally given a broader amount of autonomy granted by special statutes....
of Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, which itself is an autonomous region. The province is divided into 223
comuni (municipalities). Its capital is the city of
TrentoTrento is an Italian city located in the Adige River valley in Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol...
. The province has an area of 6,207 km² and a total population of 507,030 (2006). The region is renowned for its mountains, such as the
DolomitesThe Dolomites are a section of the Alps. They are located for the most part in the province of Belluno, the rest in the provinces of Bolzano-Bozen and Trento . Conventionally they extend from the Adige river in the west to the Piave valley in the east...
, which compose a significant section of the
AlpsThe Alps are one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east; through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany; to France in the west....
.
Etymology
The name Trentino derives from the capital city of the province, Trento. Originally, the term was used by the local population only to refer to the city itself and its immediate surroundings, while the common name for the whole region under
AustrianThe Austrian Empire was a modern era successor empire founded on a remnant of the Holy Roman Empire centered on what is today's Austria that officially lasted from 1804 to 1867...
rule was Welschtirol. In this wider sense, Trentino was first coined around 1848 in an article by a cleric member of the Frankfurt National Assembly, and henceforward became popular among leftist intellectual circles.
Geography
The Province of Trento is an almost entirely mountainous province with a main valley crossing it in its center. This valley is called
Valle dell'Adige (Adige Valley), named after the
Adige riverThe Adige is a river with its source in the Alpine region of Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol near the Italian border with Austria and Switzerland...
flowing within it. The principal towns of Trentino lay on the Adige Valley as it is the largest one and has been a historical passage connecting Italy with Northern Europe. Among other important valleys are
Val di NonThe Val di Non is a valley located in Northern Italy. It is in the province of Trento, in the region of Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol....
, known for its apple production,
Val di SoleThe Val di Sole or Valle di Sole is a valley in the Italian Province of Trento.Val di Sole applies to the Val Vermiglio, the east-west aligned valley of the river Noce and its sidevalleys, among which the Val di Peio that heads to the Ortler...
, Val Giudicarie, which has been historically contended by Trento and
BresciaBrescia is a city in the region of Lombardy in northern Italy. It is situated at the foot of the Alps, between the Mella and the Naviglio, with a population of around 191,000. It is the second largest city in Lombardy, after the capital, Milan...
, Val di Fiemme and many others.
The province has an area of 6,214 km², and a total population of 507,030 (2006). There are 223
comuni (singular:
comuneIn Italy, the comune is the basic administrative division of both provinces and regions, and may be properly approximated in casual speech by the English word township or municipality.- Importance and function :...
), in the province
http://www.upinet.it/indicatore.asp?id_statistiche=6.
Politics
Administratively, the province enjoys a large degree of autonomy in the following sectors: health, education, welfare and transport infrastructure. The provincial council comprises 35 members, one of which must by law be drawn from the Ladin minority. The president of the provincial council alternates with the President of the province of Bolzano-Bozen as president of the Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol region. In the last
elections in 2008The Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol regional election of 2008 took place on 26 October 2008 in the Province of Bolzano and on 9 November in the Province of Trento, due to legal issues....
, the strongest party became the Democratic Party (
Partito Democratico del Trentino) with 8 deputies,
Union for TrentinoThe Union for Trentino is a regionalist Christian-democratic and centrist political party active in the Province of Trento, Italy....
(7),
Lega Nord TrentinoLega Nord Trentino is a regionalist political party in Italy which is the provincial section of Lega Nord in the Province of Trento. The current national secretary is Maurizio Fugatti, deputy to the Italian Parliament...
(6),
The People of FreedomThe People of Freedom is a centre-right political party in Italy.The party was launched by Silvio Berlusconi on 18 November 2007 and officially founded in a party congress on 27–29 March 2009, when Forza Italia merged with National Alliance, Berlusconi was elected President of the party and Sandro...
(5),
Trentino Tyrolean Autonomist PartyThe Trentino Tyrolean Autonomist Party is a regionalist christian-democratic Italian political party based in Trentino.-History:The party was founded in 1948 as Trentino Tyrolean People's Party...
(3), Divina Civic List (2), Greens and Democrats of Trentino (1),
Ladin Autonomist UnionThe Ladin Autonomist Union is a minor progressive political party in the Province of Trento, Italy, which seeks to represent the Ladin minority in the Province and especially that living in Val di Fassa...
(1),
Italy of ValuesItaly of Values is a centrist, populist and anti-corruption political party in Italy, headed by former Mani pulite magistrate Antonio Di Pietro. The party is a member of the European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party ....
(1) and
Administer TrentinoAdminister Trentino is a Christian-democratic Italian political party active in the Province of Trento.The party was formed in 2008 as a split from Forza Italia by Nerio Giovanazzi, a long-time politician who had been previously a member of Christian Democracy and the Italian People's Party...
(1).
Administration
Due the division of the territory into the 223
comuni, often of small or even tiny size, in the late 1970s larger units called
comprensori ("communities") were introduced. The council of each
comprensorio is elected by the
comuni forming it. However, this tier of government has provoked criticism, and a reform is underway, aiming at the creation of 16 more homogenous "Valley Communities".
The current
comprensori have the following (population data as of December 31, 2004):
| Comprensorio |
Capital |
Area |
Population |
Location |
| C1 Val di Fiemme thumb|300px|Location of Val di Fiemme in [[Trentino]].thumb|300px|The [[Lagorai]] seen from [[Passo Lusia]].Val di Fiemme, German: Fleimstal, is a valley in the Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol region in northern Italy located in the Dolomites mountain region....
|
Cavalese Cavalese is a comune of 3,665 inhabitants in the province of Trento, northern Italy, a ski resort and the main center in the Val di Fiemme. It has been the site of two major cable-car accidents, one in 1976 and one in 1998....
|
415 km² |
18.990 |
Eastern Trentino, Avisio Valley |
| C2 Primiero La Valle di Primiero is a valley located in the eastern part of the Province of Trento, Italy. It consists of six municipalities : Fiera di Primiero, Imer, Mezzano, Siròr, Tonadico and Transacqua....
|
Fiera di Primiero Fiera di Primiero is a comune in the province of Trento in the Italian region Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, located about 60 km east of Trento. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 560 and an area of 0.15 km²...
|
413 km² |
9,959 |
Eastern Trentino, Cismon and Vanoi Valleys |
| C3 Bassa Valsugana e Tesino |
Borgo Valsugana Borgo Valsugana is a comune in the province of Trento in the Italian region Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, located about 30 km east of Trento...
|
578 km² |
26,167 |
Eastern Trentino, Brenta Valley and Tesino |
| C4 Alta Valsugana |
Pergine Valsugana Pergine Valsugana is a comune in the province of Trento in the Italian region Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, located about 9 km east of Trento...
|
394 km² |
48,342 |
Eastern Trentino, Brenta and Fersina valleys |
| C5 Valle dell'Adige |
Trento Trento is an Italian city located in the Adige River valley in Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol...
|
656 km² |
166,394 |
Central Trentino |
| C6 Val di Non The Val di Non is a valley located in Northern Italy. It is in the province of Trento, in the region of Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol....
|
Clesleft|thumb|200px|[[Saint Roch]] ChurchCles is a town and commune in the autonomous province of Trento, in the Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol region of northern Italy. Cles is the center of the European Union's judiciary power....
|
596 km² |
37,832 |
Western Trentino, Noce Valley |
| C7 Val di Sole The Val di Sole or Valle di Sole is a valley in the Italian Province of Trento.Val di Sole applies to the Val Vermiglio, the east-west aligned valley of the river Noce and its sidevalleys, among which the Val di Peio that heads to the Ortler...
|
Malè Malè is a comune in the province of Trento in the Italian region Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, located about 35 km northwest of Trento...
|
609 km² |
15,235 |
Western Trentino, Noce Valley |
| C8 Valli Giudicarie Giudicarie is an area of eastern Trentino, northern Italy, which includes the upper courses of the rivers Sarca and Chiese....
|
Tione Tione di Trento is a comune in the province of Trento in the Italian region Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, located about 30 km west of Trento...
|
1,176 km² |
36,282 |
Western Trentino, SarcaThe Sarca is a river springing from the Adamello-Presanella mountains and flowing into Lake Garda. As an emissary of the lake it becomes known as the Mincio....
and ChieseThe Chiese, also known in the Province of Brescia as the Clisi, is a 160 km Italian river which is the principal immisary and sole emissary of the sub-alpine lake Lago d’Idro, and is a left tributary of the Oglio....
Valleys |
| C9 Alto Garda e Ledro |
Riva del Garda- Geography :Riva del Garda is located at the north-western corner of Lake Garda also called Benaco . Mount Rocchetta rises steeply to the west, with Mount Baldo to the east...
|
353 km² |
44,288 |
Southern Trentino |
| C10 Vallagarina |
Rovereto -History:Rovereto was ancient fortress town standing at the frontier between the bishopric of Trento - an independent state until 1797 - and the republic of Venice, and later between Austrian Tyrol and Italy.-Main sights:The castle is still intact....
|
694 km² |
84,781 |
Southern Trentino meridionale, AdigeThe Adige is a river with its source in the Alpine region of Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol near the Italian border with Austria and Switzerland...
Valley |
| C11 Ladino di Fassa |
Vigo di Fassa Vigo di Fassa is a comune in the province of Trento in the Italian region Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, located about 60 km northeast of Trento. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 1,085 and an area of 26.7 km².Vigo di Fassa borders the following municipalities: Pozza di...
|
318 km² |
9,276 |
Eastern Trentino, Avisio valley |
As of May 31 2005, the only
comuni with a population over 20,000 were
TrentoTrento is an Italian city located in the Adige River valley in Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol...
and
Rovereto-History:Rovereto was ancient fortress town standing at the frontier between the bishopric of Trento - an independent state until 1797 - and the republic of Venice, and later between Austrian Tyrol and Italy.-Main sights:The castle is still intact....
.
Economy
Despite the overwhelmingly mountainous nature of the territory, agriculture remains important. Farms often join together to form larger cooperatives. The most important produce comprises:
appleThe apple is the pomaceous fruit of the apple tree, species Malus domestica in the rose family Rosaceae. It is one of the most widely cultivated tree fruits...
s (50% of national production, together with South Tyrol) and other fruit, vegetables (mainly in the Val di Gresta) and
grapeA grape is the non-climacteric fruit, botanically a true berry, that grows on the perennial and deciduous woody vines of the genus Vitis. Grapes can be eaten raw or used for making jam, juice, jelly, vinegar, wine, grape seed extracts, raisins, and grape seed oil...
: important especially for its quality, the latter is used for the production of renowned wines and sparkling wines.
The main industries, often small- and medium-sized, are concentrated in Valsugana, Vallagarina and the Adige Valleys. Sectors include textiles, mechanics, wood and paper productions. Also important is the production of hydro-electric energy.
Tourism is the mainstay of the provincial economy. The main resorts include:
Madonna di CampiglioMadonna di Campiglio is a village and a ski resort in northeast Italy. It is a frazione of the comune of Pinzolo. It has around 1000 inhabitants.-Geography:The village lies in the Val Rendena at an altitude of 1,522 m...
, San Martino di Castrozza,
Fiera di PrimieroFiera di Primiero is a comune in the province of Trento in the Italian region Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, located about 60 km east of Trento. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 560 and an area of 0.15 km²...
,
CanazeiCanazei is a comune in the province of Trento in the Italian region Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, located about 70 km northeast of Trento.Canazei is also a traditional ski resort on the Sella Ronda circuit with 175 km of pistes....
,
MoenaMoena is a comune in the province of Trento in the Italian region Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, located about 60 km northeast of Trento...
,
CavaleseCavalese is a comune of 3,665 inhabitants in the province of Trento, northern Italy, a ski resort and the main center in the Val di Fiemme. It has been the site of two major cable-car accidents, one in 1976 and one in 1998....
,
FolgariaFolgaria is a comune in the province of Trento in the Italian region Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, located about 15 km southeast of Trento...
, Folgarida-Marilleva,
Riva del Garda- Geography :Riva del Garda is located at the north-western corner of Lake Garda also called Benaco . Mount Rocchetta rises steeply to the west, with Mount Baldo to the east...
and
Levico TermeLevico Terme is a comune in the province of Trento in the Italian region Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, located about 15 km southeast of Trento...
, Comano Terme and
RoncegnoRoncegno Terme is a comune in the province of Trento in the Italian region Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, located about 20 km east of Trento.-Geography:...
, these last three being renowned thermal stations.
Transport links
The Region of Trentino is crossed by the main road and rail connections between Italy and
GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
. These include the Brenner A22 motorway and road which passes through the Etsch/Adige Valley. A regional project of switching much of the road traffic to railways is currently under consideration, including the construction of a tunnel under the
Brenner PassBrenner Pass is a mountain pass through the Alps along the border between Italy and Austria, and is one of the principal passes of the Alps. It is the lowest and easiest of the Alpine passes, and one of the few in the area...
.
The province has two more railways: the Valsugana Line, connecting Trento to
VeniceVenice is a city in northern Italy, the capital of the region Veneto, a population of 271,367 . Together with Padua, the city is included in the Padua-Venice Metropolitan Area . The city historically was an independent nation...
and the Trento-Malè-Marilleva.
Linguistic minorities
The province of Trento is home to three linguistic minorities, protected by the regional and provincial statutes. The most numerous is the
LadinLadin is a Rhaeto-Romance language spoken in the Dolomite mountains in northern Italy in the border regions of the provinces Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol and Veneto...
minority in the Fassa Valley (
comuni of
Campitello di FassaCampitello di Fassa is a comune in the province of Trento in the Italian region Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, located about 70 km northeast of Trento...
,
CanazeiCanazei is a comune in the province of Trento in the Italian region Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, located about 70 km northeast of Trento.Canazei is also a traditional ski resort on the Sella Ronda circuit with 175 km of pistes....
,
MazzinMazzin is a comune in the province of Trento in the Italian region Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, located about 60 km northeast of Trento. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 450 and an area of 23.7 km²....
, Moena,
Pozza di FassaPozza di Fassa is a comune in the province of Trento in the Italian region Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, located about 60 km northeast of Trento...
, Soraga,
Vigo di FassaVigo di Fassa is a comune in the province of Trento in the Italian region Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, located about 60 km northeast of Trento. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 1,085 and an area of 26.7 km².Vigo di Fassa borders the following municipalities: Pozza di...
). The German
Mócheno languageMócheno is an Upper German dialect spoken in three towns of the Fersina Valley , in province of Trento, Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, northeastern Italy....
is spoken in the
comuni of
FrassilongoFrassilongo is a comune in the province of Trento in the Italian region Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, located about 14 km east of Trento...
,
FierozzoFierozzo is a comune in the province of Trento in the Italian region Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, located about 15 km northeast of Trento. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 456 and an area of 17.9 km²...
and
Palù del FersinaPalù del Fersina is a comune in the province of Trento in the Italian region Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, located about 20 km northeast of Trento...
, while the
Cimbrian languageCimbrian refers to any of several local Upper German dialects spoken in northeastern Italy. The speakers of the language are known as Zimbern....
is spoken in
LusernaLuserna is a comune in the province of Trento in the Italian region Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, located about 25 km southeast of Trento...
.
History
The History of Trentino begins in the mid-
Stone AgeThe Stone Age is a broad prehistoric time period during which humans widely used stone for toolmaking.Stone tools were made from a variety of different sorts of stone. For example, flint and chert were shaped for use as cutting tools and weapons, while basalt and sandstone were used for ground...
the valleys of what is now Trentino were already inhabited by man, the main settlements being in the valley of the
AdigeThe Adige is a river with its source in the Alpine region of Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol near the Italian border with Austria and Switzerland...
River, thanks for its milder climate.
Research in agriculture
The Province of Trento, since January 2008, has established the Edmund Mach Foundation to enhance the research, training and services in the agricultural, agri-food and environmental field.
External links