The day began with a group walking tour of Trento, and then we had a free afternoon to enjoy by ourselves. We had opted against taking the optional cooking class—a good decision given our lack of desire and spending $270 (for two) on something we had little interest in doing. Instead, we explored more of the city, including taking a cable car up to the mountaintop for a panorama view.
For this post, I will take you on a photo tour of the sites we enjoyed throughout our tour and let the photos and captions tell the story.
(For all photos, click on the image for a full screen view.)
He seemed to be amused watching our group outside of the castle!
We had visited (and photographed) the piazza the previous day, but I couldn’t get enough of these gorgeous frescoes! As the light changed, I kept going back, as you will see later in the afternoon…
We had a free pass to ride the Trento cable car, and we thoroughly enjoyed the views!
While Bruce rested his knee (torn meniscus), I poked around the streets of Sardagna and watched a car race winding through the streets off in the distance.
Back in town, the sky was clearing more and more, so we enjoyed wandering the streets.Back in the piazza again! Click on the photo for a panorama view!
Piazza Dante, across from our hotel
The specialty at this shop was speck, a fatty ham that is 80% fat! It was a hard NO for me, but it was a favorite in the old days– the “energy bar of the middle ages,” according to our morning tour guide!I thought this community closet was a great idea! Leave clothes that you don’t need and pick up something you do. Donated canned and packaged food was available as well.
Next up: SWITZERLAND & NORTHERN ITALY #18: OVERLAND TO BEAUTIFUL BRESSANONE (BRIXEN)
On the way to Trento, we stopped in the beautiful town of Desenzano, situated on the shores of Lake Garda, Italy’s largest lake. Some of the streets were blocked off, which baffled Maria, our travel leader, and our bus driver. Did something horrible happen? It wasn’t until a sports car with a number on the side whizzed by that we realized we had stumbled upon a car race! We all hopped out of the bus and headed to the waterfront to see the action. It was the 2024 1000 Miglia, an annual 1000-mile vintage car race that has taken place in the province of Brescia since 1927. The tour concluded in Desenzano where the drivers got their final stamps at the check-in tent, and then took some final laps to celebrate. Italians are huge car race enthusiasts, so it was fun to watch with the locals, as they cheered for their favorites.
(For all photos, click on the image for a full screen view.)
Maria also managed to corral our group for a walking tour of the town, which we found to be quaint and charming. The race and walking tour were great ways to break up our journey to Trento!
Ricetto Castle
We continued on to visit an olive mill for a tour, olive oil tasting, and al fresco lunch. The mill we visited, Frantoio Manestrini, was a family-operated mill that had received national recognition. The vegetarian option for lunch was a welcomed surprise, given the lack of vegetables available during the previous days in Northern Italy and Switzerland.
The final leg of our journey took us through the foothills of the Italian Dolomites, which we would be seeing more of in the following days. Upon arrival in Trento, we checked in at the beautiful Grand Hotel Trento, and then took an orientation tour of the lovely town.
Looking up the winding staircase from the bottom floor……and looking back down from the top.
Trento is the capital of the autonomous province of Trento. Formerly part of Austria, it was annexed by Italy in 1919 and is now one of the wealthiest and most prosperous cities in Italy with a high standard of living and quality of life.
Trento is a city of frescoes.
Trento is also a city of gorgeous stone sidewalks of local red limestone.Some of the stone sidewalks have fossils such as this one dating back 200-250 million years!
As if we hadn’t already experienced good luck when we happened upon that car race, the good luck continued in the evening when we stumbled upon a festival in Plaza Duomo, the cathedral square, following dinner. Proloco Centro Storico Trento is part of Feste Vigiliane, celebrating patron saint San Vigilius. The week-long festival transforms the streets and alleys into a mediaeval quarter where food, entertainment, and ancient handicrafts bring out the crowds. The celebrations are full of humor and laughter, concluding with fireworks on the final day.
We stood outside the gate watching men prepare huge copper kettles of polenta. Along with beer, bowls of the polenta were carried out by costumed servers. It was a big social event, and everybody seemed to be having a great time! We sure enjoyed watching!
Coming up next: SWITZERLAND & NORTHERN ITALY #17: TERRIFIC TRENTO
Elaine-iaK's Travels: A Traveler's Tales of People, Places, Photos, Pools... and CHOCOLATE! 