Mountains dominate much of this region, which stretches north along the Adige River valley from the intersection of Lombardy and the Veneto.
The soaring landscape of the Alps and the Dolomites (Dolomiti) presides over a different Italy, one that often doesn’t seem very Italian at all.
Most of the Dolomites and Südtirol (the South Tirol, which encompasses the Trentino and Alto Adige regions) belonged to Austria until it was handed over to Italy at the end of World War I. In fact, many residents, especially in and around Bozen, Merano, and Brixen, still prefer the ways of the north to those of the south. They eat Austrian food, go about life with Teutonic crispness, and, most noticeably, tend to avoid speaking Italian in favor of their native German-based dialect—to them, these towns are called Bozen, Meran, and Brixen. Some villages even speak Ladin, a vestigial Latin dialect related to Switzerland’s Romansch. And they live amid mountain landscapes that are more suggestive of Austria than of Italy.
The eastern Alps that cut into the region are gentle and beautiful. A little farther to the east rise the Dolomites—dramatically craggy peaks that are really coral formations that only recently (in geological terms) reared up from ancient seabeds.
Throughout Trentino–Alto Adige, towering peaks, highland meadows, and lush valleys provide a paradise for hikers, skiers, and rock climbers. Set amid these natural spectacles are pretty, interesting towns and castles to explore and a hybrid Teutonic-Latin culture to enjoy.