46°04N 11°08E, pop (2000e) 100 000. Capital town of Trento province, Trentino-Alto Adige, N Italy, on the left bank of the R Adige; archbishopric; railway; electrical goods, chemicals, cement, lumber, cultural activities, wine; birthplace of Jacopo Aconzio and Cesare Battisti; cathedral (11th13th-c), Castello del Buon Consiglio (13th-c), Church of Santa Maria Maggiore (16th-c), where the Council of Trent met (154463); Film Festival (Apr).
| Comune di Trento | |
|---|---|
|
Municipal coat of arms |
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| Country | Italy |
| Region | Trentino-South Tyrol |
| 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 | 46°04′N 11°07′E |
| Gentilic | Trentini or Tridentini |
| Dialing code | 0461 |
| Postal code | |
| Frazioni | see list |
| Patron | St. Vigilius |
| - Day | June 26 |
| Website: www.comune.trento.it | |
Trento, in English sometimes called Trent, Italian Trento (TREN-to), German Trient (tree-ENT), Latin Tridentum, is an Italian city located in the Adige river valley in the Trentino-South Tyrol region. 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).
Geography
Trento lies in a wide glacial valley, where the Fersina and Avisio rivers join the Adige (the second longest river in Italy).
Trento was conquered by the Romans in the late 1st century BC, after several clashes with the Rhaetian tribes. 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; 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. after his death in 1562 the activity of the press of Riva di Trento ceased.
Prince-bishops ruled Trento until the Napoleonic era, when it bounced around among various states. 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. 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. Their death caused an emotional outcry and was later used by the Italian government to celebrate the "liberation of Trento."
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. 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. From November, 1944 to April, 1945 Trento was bombed as part of the so-called "Battle of the Brenner."
See also
Bishopric of Trento.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). 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.
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. This stone can be seen in many of Trento's buildings, both new and old.
Main sights
Although off the beaten path of mass tourism, Trento offers rather interesting monuments.
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).Trento also sports noteworthy modernist architecture, including the train station and the central post office, both by rationalist architect Angiolo Mazzoni.
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.
Trento is also the venue of a popular Mountain Film Festival
Famous natives of Trento
In addition to the aforementioned Bernardo Clesio and Cristoforo Madruzzo, Giacomo Aconzio was born in Trento. Other famous natives of Trento include:
Lorenzo Bernardi, volleyball player for the Italian national team who was declared "Player of the century" by an international jury. Fortunato Depero, futurist artist and one of the founders of the futurist movement in Italy, was born in Fondo in 1892, close to Trento. Alcide De Gasperi, politician in Austria-Hungary, politicar 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. 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.
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