Trentino-Alto Adige is a region in Northeast Italy.

Regions

The region is divided in two provinces:

South Tyrol The northern predominantly German-speaking part with significant Italian and Ladin minorities

Trentino The southern Italian-speaking part with a small German minority

Cities

• 1 Bolzano — awesome blend of Italy and Tyrol.
• 2 Brixen — once the center of a prince-bishopric.
• 3 Meran — known for its spa resorts.
• 4 Rovereto — a significant museum of modern art.
• 5 Trent — the seat of the once powerful bishops of Trent.

Other destinations

• Seiser Alm — A very diverse holiday area known for the largest high mountain pasture in Europe and the countless hiking and biking-possibilities and Summer and alpine and cross country-ski-area in Winter. The main language is a German dialect but people also speak Italian and English. The best way to discover nature and countryside across the area is by getting out and about: Whether it’s on foot or by bike in the summer, by ski or snowboard on the slopes in winter: Spending the holidays here means having a perfect blend of outdoor adventure with beautiful countryside and the pleasures of the palate; the South Tyrolean cuisine brings Alpine and Mediterranean culinary traditions together, which means that a holiday in the Dolomites provides something that’s sure to suit every taste.

• Val Gardena — A popular region for hiking in summer and skiing in winter. The local language is Ladin, spoken by approximately 90 % of the population with the remainder speaking Italian or German. There are three main travel destinations: Ortisei, Santa Christina and Selva Gardena (Wolkenstein).

Selva (1563 m) is the most popular of these villages and is situated at the base of the Sassolungo- a climbing and hiking haven in summer. In winter, there are extensivive ski lifts and runs and these are linked into the famous Sella Ronda ski circuit.

Understand

During the Middle Ages, this region was divided between the Prince-Bishop of Trento and the Prince-Bishop of Brixen. Both principalities were under the sphere of influence of the Counts of Tyrol (and later, the Austrian Empire). To the south, they bordered with the Venetian Republic, which had influence on the southernmost valleys.

After the collapse of the Venetian Republic, and the Napoleonic wars, most of northern Italy fell under Austrian Empire rule. This region became part of Tirol. Italian independence wars in the last half of the XIX century claimed back from Austria the former Venetian Republic. Among the Italian-speaking people dwelling in the southernmost valleys of Tirol grew a movement to throw off Austrian rule, and join the new Italian state. The need to "liberate" these Italian lands was used by Italy to enter the World War I against Austria.

After the war was lost by Austria, the portion of Tirol south of the Brenner Pass was annexed by Italy and renamed Trentino - Alto Adige, Trentino being the part with Italian-speaking population. The German-speaking population of Alto-Adige were not recognized minority status. Indeed, as Italy fell under nationalistic fascist rule, the government started an effort to "italianize" Alto-Adige. Use of German in schools and in official documents was forbidden, the official names of places was changed to be Italian-sounding, Italians were moved from other parts of Italy to "colonize" the region.

As a result of the pact between Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy, the Germans in the regions were given the option to relocate to Germany. Only few accepted, and most of them returned to their homeland after the war. During the end of the war, the region was briefly annexed to the Third Reich.

After WWII, the region remained part of Italy, as two provinces ("Trentino" and "Alto Adige/Südtirol") were granted large administrative and legislative autonomy.

In Alto Adige/Südtirol, German is official language as well as Italian. All official acts, place names and signs are in both languages. There are both Italian- and German-language schools. A third language, Ladin, spoken in the eastern valleys, is also a recognized linguistic minority, and is taught in schools where it is native. Jobs in the public sector are awarded proportionally to people with the three mother tongues, and applicants must prove fluency in both Italian and German.

Despite some fringe groups that persist in asking for reunification with Austria, the current system has proved very popular, and is often proposed as an example of peaceful coexistence of populations of different ethnicity.

Talk

• German (in South Tyrol)
• Italian
• Ladin (in Fassa valley, Gherdeina/Gardena valley, Badia valley and Fodom)

Get in

The nearest airports are Bolzano, Innsbruck, Verona, Munich, and Milan.

See

• Überetsch/South Tyrol: there you can find large producing areas for wine and apples
• Seiser Alm: the largest high mountain pasture in Europe
• Meran/Merano: health resort with great tradition, i.e. empress Sissi of Austria stayed there
• Museo Ladin de Fascia. 
• Castelrotto: awarded as one of the most beautiful villages in Italy

Do

• Skiing. Everywhere: because Südtirol is in the middle of the Alps, the maximum distance to a skiing region from every town is one hour car driving. Skiing season runs roughly December through mid-April. 
• Hiking. Hiking season runs June through mid-September. 

Magazines, events calendars

• Inside - events in South Tyrol bilingual (German, Italian) pocket calendar with all events in South Tyrol. The index is written in English. You can find it everywhere. Free. Also online available.