Trento
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| Comune di Trento | |
|---|---|
 Municipal coat of arms |
|
| Country |  Italy |
| Region | Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol |
| Province | Trento (TN) |
| Mayor | Alberto Pacher |
| Elevation | 190 m |
| Area | 157 km² |
| Population | |
| - Total (as of December 31, 2005) | 110,142 |
| - Density | 702/km² |
| Time zone | CET, UTC+1 |
| Coordinates | |
| Gentilic | Trentini or Tridentini |
| Dialing code | 0461 |
| Postal code | 38100 |
| Frazioni | see list |
| Patron | St. Vigilius |
| - Day | June 26 |
| Website: www.comune.trento.it | |
Trento (Italian: Trento; German: Trient; Latin: Tridentum; Note that many of the region's Italian languages/dialects use Trent) is an Italian city located in the Adige river valley in the region of Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol. It is the capital of the region and of the Autonomous Province of Trento.
The township of Trento is geographically very large and encompasses the town center as well as many suburbs of extremely varied geographical and population conditions (from the industrial suburb of Gardolo, just north of the city, to tiny mountain hamlets on the Monte Bondone). Various distinctive suburbs still maintain their traditional identity of rural or mountain villages. The town proper only has 55,197 inhabitants (October 2004). The 2004 population of the entire township is 110,142.
Contents |
[edit] Geography
Trento lies in a wide glacial valley, where the Fersina and Avisio rivers join the Adige (the second longest river in Italy). The city is surrounded by mountains, including the Vigolana (2,150 m), the Monte Bondone (2,181 m), the Paganella (2,124 m), the Marzola (1,747 m) and the Monte Calisio (1,096 m). Nearby lakes include the Lago di Caldonazzo, Lago di Levico, Lago di Garda and Lago di Toblino.
[edit] History
The origins of the city are controversial. Some scholars mantain it was a Rhaetian settlement: the Adige area was however influenced by neighbouring populations, including the (Adriatic) Veneti, the Etruscans, the Cimbri, and the Gauls (a Celtic people). According to other theories, therefore, the latter did instead found the city during the 4th century BC.
Trento was conquered by the Romans in the late 1st century BC, after several clashes with the Rhaetian tribes. The Romans gave their settlement the name Tridentum, because of the three hills that surround the city: the Doss Trent, Sant'Agata and San Rocco. The Latin name is the source of the adjective Tridentine. On the old townhall a Latin inscription is still visible: Montes argentum mihi dant nomenque Tridentum ("Mountains give me silver and the name of Trento"), attributed to Fra' Bartolomeo da Trento (died in 1251).
After the fall of the Roman Empire, Trento was ruled by the Goths, Lombards and Franks, finally becoming part of the Holy Roman Empire. In 1027, Emperor Conrad II created the Prince-Bishops of Trento, who wielded both temporal and religious powers; but in the following centuries the sovereignty was divided between the Bishopric of Trent and the County of Tyrol (from 1363 part of the Habsburg monarchy). Around 1200, Trento became a minerary production center of some significance (silver was mined from the Monte Calisio - Khalisperg), and Prince-Bishop Federico Wanga issued the first mining code of the alpine region. A dark episode in the history of Trento involved the alleged disappearance of a three year old boy known as Simon of Trent (S.Simonino) in 1475, which was blamed on the local Jewish community and resulted in a series of executions.
In the 16th century Trento became famous for the Council of Trent (1545-1563) which gave rise to the Counter-Reformation. The adjective Tridentine (as in "Tridentine Mass") literally means pertaining to Trento, but, because of the Tridentine Council, can also refer to this specific event. Among the famous prince bishops of this time were Bernardo Clesio (who ruled the city 1514-1539, and managed to steer the Council to Trento) and Cristoforo Madruzzo (who ruled 1539-1567, during the Council), both able European politicians and Renaissance humanists, who greatly expanded and embellished the city.
During this period, and as an expression of this Humanism, Trento was also known as the site of a Jewish printing press. In 1558 Cardinal Madruzzo granted the privilege of printing Hebrew books to Joseph Ottolengo, a German rabbi. The actual printer was Jacob Marcaria, a local physician; after his death in 1562 the activity of the press of Riva di Trento ceased. Altogether thirty-four works were published in the period 1558 to 1562, most of them bearing the coat of arms of Madruzzo. [1]
Prince-bishops ruled Trento until the Napoleonic era, when it bounced around among various states. Under the reorganization of the Holy Roman Empire in 1802, the Bishopric was secularized and annexed to the Habsburg territories. The Treaty of Pressburg in 1805 ceded Trent to Bavaria, and the Treaty of Schönbrunn four years later gave it to Napoleon's Kingdom of Italy. With Napoleon's defeat in 1814, Trento was finally annexed by the Habsburg Empire, becoming part of the province of Tyrol.
In the next decades Trento experienced a modernization of administration and economy with the first railroad in the Adige valley opening in 1859. During the late 19th Century, Trento and Trieste, cities with ethnic Italian majorities still belonging to the Austrians, became icons of the Italian irredentist movement. Benito Mussolini briefly joined the staff of a local newspaper in 1908. The nationalist cause led Italy into World War I. Damiano Chiesa and Cesare Battisti were two well-known local irredentists who had joined the Italian army to fight against Austria-Hungary with the aim of bringing the territory of Trento into the new Kingdom of Italy. The two men were taken prisoners at the nearby southern front. They were put on trial for high treason and executed in the courtyard of Castello del Buonconsiglio (Cesare Battisti had served in the Austrian army). Their death caused an emotional outcry and was later used by the Italian government to celebrate the "liberation of Trento." The region was greatly affected during the war, and some of its fiercest battles were fought on the surrounding mountains.
After World War I, Trento and its Italian-speaking province, along with Bolzano and the part of Tyrol that stretched south of the Alpine watershed (which was German speaking), were annexed by Italy.
In 1943, Mussolini was deposed and Italy surrendered to the Allies, who had invaded southern Italy via Sicily. German troops promptly invaded northern Italy and the provinces of Trento, Belluno and South Tyrol became part of the Operation Zone of the Alpine Foothills, annexed to Greater Germany. Many German-speaking South Tyroleans wanted revenge upon Italians living in the area but were mostly prevented by the occupying Nazis, who still considered Mussolini head of the Italian Social Republic and wanted to preserve good relations with the Fascists. From November, 1944 to April, 1945 Trento was bombed as part of the so-called "Battle of the Brenner." War supplies from Germany to support the Gothic Line were for the most part routed through the rail line through the Brenner pass. Over 6,849 sorties were flown over targets from Verona to the Brenner Pass with 10,267 tons of bombs dropped. Parts of the city were hit by the Allied bombings, including the church of S. Maria Maggiore, the Church of the Annunciation and several bridges over the Adige river. In spite of the bombings, most of the medieval and renaissance town center was spared.
Starting from the 1950s the region has enjoyed prosperous growth, thanks in part to its special autonomy from the central Italian government.
See also
[edit] Society and economy
Eight centuries of Prince-Bishop rulers, relative independence from the rest of Europe, the Austrian domination and a strong sense of communal fate left a distinctive mark on the city's culture, which is dominated by a fairly progressive Social-Catholic political orientation (in fact, Trento is one of the few cities in Italy where left-leaning Catholics form the majority party). The city is considered to be well-administered and enjoys the benefits of special autonomy from the central Italian government. Trento ranks high in Italian quality-of-life statistics.
The city owes much of its unique history to its position along the main communication route between Italy and Northern Europe and to the Adige river which prior to its diversion in the 19th century ran through the center of the city. The Adige river was formerly a navigable river and one of the main commercial routes in the Alps. The original course of the river is now covered by the Via Torre Vanga, Via Torre Verde and the Via Alessandro Manzoni.
Today Trento thrives on commerce, services, tourism, high-quality agriculture and food industry (including wine, fruit), as a research and conference center thanks to a small but renowned university and research centers such as ITC/IRST, and ECT*, and as logistics and transportation thoroughfare. The manufacturing industry installed in the post-war period has been mostly dismantled.
Valued pink and white porphyry is still excavated from some surrounding areas (Pila). This stone can be seen in many of Trento's buildings, both new and old.
[edit] Politics
The administrative elections of May 8, 2005 were won by a Center-Left coalition. Results are the following (only parties with more than 5% are listed):
- Margherita (Left-Centre Catholics): 28.7%
- Olive Tree (Social Democrats, including Democrats of the Left): 17.7%
- Forza Italia (Center-Right): 11.6%
- Communist Refoundation Party: 5.7%
- Lega Nord (Northern Separatists): 5.2%
Current mayor is Alberto Pacher, of the Democrats of the Left.
[edit] Main sights
Although off the beaten path of mass tourism, Trento offers rather interesting monuments. Its architecture has a unique feel, with both Italian Renaissance and Germanic influences. The city center is small, and most Late-Medieval and Renaissance buildings have been restored to their original pastel colours and wooden balconies. Part of the medieval city walls is still visible in Piazza Fiera, along with a circular tower. Once, these walls encircled the whole town and were connected to the Castello del Buonconsiglio.
The main monuments of the city include:
- the Duomo (Cathedral of Saint Vigilio), a Romanesque-Gothic cathedral of the twelfth-thirteenth century, built on top of a late-Roman basilica (viewable in an underground crypt).
- Piazza Duomo, on the side of the Cathedral, with frescoed Renaissance buildings and a neoclassicist fountain of the Neptune.
- The Church of Santa Maria Maggiore (1520), site of the preparatory congregations of the Third Council of Trent (April 1562 – December 1563).
- The Castello del Buonconsiglio, which includes a museum and the famous Torre dell'Aquila, with a cycle of fine gothic frescoes depicting the months, commissioned by the prince-bishop Georg von Lichtenstein.
- Torre Verde, along the former transit path of the Adige river, is said to be where persons executed in the name of the Prince-Bishop were deposited in the river.
- The Palazzo delle Albere, a Renaissance villa next to the Adige river, now hosting a modern art museum.
- The Palazzo Pretorio, next to the Duomo, of the twelfth century, with a bell tower (Torre Civica) of the thirteenth century (it now hosts a collection of baroque paintings of religious themes).
- Palazzo Salvadori (1515).
- Various underground remains of the streets and villas of the Roman city (in Via Prepositura and Piazza Cesare Battisti).
Trento also sports noteworthy modernist architecture, including the train station and the central post office, both by rationalist architect Angiolo Mazzoni. In particular, the train station (1934–36) is considered a landmark building of Italian railways architecture and combines many varieties of local stone with the most advanced building materials of the time: glass, reinforced concrete, metal. The post office was once decorated with colored windows by Fortunato Depero, but these were destroyed during bombings in World War II. Other buildings of that time include the Grand Hotel (by G. Lorenzi) with some guest rooms furnished with futurist furniture by Depero, and the "R. Sanzio" Primary School build by Adalberto Libera in 1931–34.
An important museum of modern art (Museo d'Arte di Trento e Rovereto) is located in the nearby town of Rovereto.
A famous aeronautical museum (Museo dell'Aeronautica Gianni Caproni) is located in Trento - Mattarello's Airport.
Trento's surroundings are known for the beautiful mountain landscapes, and are the destination of both summer and winter tourism. The Alpine Botanical Garden, located on Monte Bondone in Le Viotte was founded in 1938 and is therefore probably the first such garden in Italy.
Trento is also the venue of a popular Mountain Film Festival
[edit] Famous natives of Trento
In addition to the aforementioned Bernardo Clesio and Cristoforo Madruzzo, Giacomo Aconzio was born in Trento. Kurt von Schuschnigg was born in Riva del Garda, in the Trentino region. Other famous natives of Trento include:
- Beniamino Andreatta, politician.
- Lorenzo Bernardi, volleyball player for the Italian national team who was declared "Player of the century" by an international jury.
- Francesco Antonio Bonporti, composer.
- Gianni Caproni, aeronautical engineer, born in Massone d'Arco 1886. Trento's airport is dedicated to him.
- Eusebio Chini, Jesuit Priest, missionary and explorer.
- Fortunato Depero, futurist artist and one of the founders of the futurist movement in Italy, was born in Fondo in 1892, close to Trento. He was later "adopted" by the city of Rovereto.
- Alcide De Gasperi, politician in Austria-Hungary, political leader and post-war premier in Italy and one of the founding fathers of the European Union, was born in Pieve Tesino, in the province of Trento.
- Felice Fontana, scientist.
- Gregorio Fontana, mathematician.
- Ernst von Koerber, prominent politician of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
- Chiara Lubich, founder of the Focolare Movement.
- Gianfrancesco Malfatti, mathematician.
- Martino Martini, geographer, historian, missionary.
- Luigi Negrelli, engineer.
- Paolo Oss Mazzurana, Trento's most famous mayor. His tenure is characterized by progressive economic policies that impacted Trento's commercial sector and its eventual independence.
- Andrea Pozzo, Jesuit Brother, baroque painter and architect.
- Giovanni Prati, poet and politician.
- Antonio Rosmini, priest, philosopher, born in Rovereto, 1797.
- Giovanni Antonio Scopoli, naturalist and physician, born in Cavalese.
- Giovanni Segantini, Italian Art Nouveau painter, was born in Arco in 1858.
- Alessandro Vittoria, mannerist sculptor.
- Riccardo Zandonai, opera composer.
[edit] Communications
Highway A22-E45 to Verona and to Bolzano, Innsbruck and Munich. Railway (main connection between Italy and Germany; direct train to Venice). Bus or train service to the main surrounding valleys: Fassa, Fiemme, Gudicarie, Non, Primiero, Rendena, Sole, Tesino, Valsugana.
[edit] Frazioni
Povo, Villazzano, Gardolo, Roncafort, Mattarello, Martignano, Cognola, Ravina, Romagnano, Montevaccino, Vela, Meano, Sopramonte, Vigo Meano, Gazzadina, Candriai, Vaneze, Cadine, Vigolo Baselga
[edit] External links
- Official homepage of Trento
- Azienda per il Turismo Trento e Monte Bondone
- Flak Guns In The Brenner Pass
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- Mapping from Multimap or GlobalGuide or Google Maps
- Aerial image from TerraServer
- Wiki Satellite image from WikiMapia
