Trentino (Lombard, Venetian and ; ), officially the Autonomous Province of Trento, is an autonomous province of Italy in the country's far north. Trentino and South Tyrol constitute the region of Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, an autonomous region under the constitution. Its capital is the city of Trento (Trent). The province covers an area of , with a population of 548,684 as of 2026.
Trentino has a complex history shaped by its position between Italian and Central European cultural spheres. In antiquity, it was inhabited by the Raetian people before being incorporated into the Roman Empire as part of the province of Raetia. During the Middle Ages, Trentino became part of the Prince-Bishopric of Trent within the Holy Roman Empire and later fell under Austrian rule until the end of World War I. Following the war and the Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye (1919), South Tyrol was annexed to the Kingdom of Italy which separated it into two provinces renamed in 1923 as "Trentino" and "Alto Adige". It gained autonomy after World War II under Austrian protection.
Trentino is characterized by its mountainous terrain, notably the Dolomites, which form part of the Alps. The region also exhibits significant linguistic diversity: while Italian is the predominant language, communities speaking Ladin and the German dialects of Mócheno and Cimbrian preserve distinct linguistic traditions that reflect its Alpine and Central European heritage.
Etymology The province is generally known as "Trentino". The name derives from Trento, the capital city of the province. Originally, the term was used by the local population only to refer to the city and its immediate surroundings. Under former Austrian rule, which began in the 19th century (previously, Trentino was governed by the local bishop), the common German name for the region was Welschtirol () or Welschsüdtirol (), or just Südtirol,Among many: Karl Müller, An der Kampffront in Südtirol: Kriegsbriefe eines neutralen Offizeirs, Velhagen & Klasing, 1916: Das politische und militärische Ziel des Feldzugs der Italiener im Südtirol ist die befestigte Stadt Trient = The political and military objective of the Italian campaign in South Tyrol was the fortified city of Trento. meaning South Tyrol with reference to its geographic position as the southern part of Tyrol.
The corresponding Italian name was Tirolo Meridionale, which was historically used to describe the wider southern part of the County of Tyrol, specifically Trentino and sometimes also today's South Tyrol, or Tirolo Italiano. In its wider sense, Trentino was first used around 1848 in an article by a member of the Frankfurt National Assembly; it became a popular term among leftist intellectual circles in Austria.
Since the new 1972 autonomous status, the administrative name of the province is autonomous province of Trento (; ).Official Journals of the Provincia autonoma di Trento/Autonome Provinz Trient: No. 1 (2002) , No. 17 (2003), No. 23 (2003) , No. 39 (2003) , No. 45 (2006) No. 20 (2007) and No. 25 (2007)
History
The history of Trentino begins in the mid-Stone Age. The valleys of what is now Trentino were already inhabited by man, the main settlements being in the valley of the Adige River, thanks to its milder climate.
In the early Middle Ages, this area was included within the Kingdom of Italy and the March of Verona. In 1027, the Bishopric of Trent was established as a State of the Holy Roman Empire by Emperor Conrad II. It was an ecclesiastical territory, roughly corresponding to the present-day Trentino, governed by the Prince-Bishops of Trento.
The Council of Trent, held in three major sessions from 1545 to 1563, with the first at Trento, was one of the important councils in the history of the Roman Catholic Church. It was an articulation of Roman Catholic doctrine in response to the Protestant Reformation, and specified doctrine on salvation, the sacraments, and the Biblical canon.
After the Napoleonic Wars of the early 19th century, the bishopric was secularized and absorbed into the Austrian County of Tyrol. It was governed by the House of Habsburg-Lorraine. The region was the location of heavy fighting during World War I, as it was directly on the front lines between Austria-Hungary and Italy. Italy occupied Trentino in November 1918, and the region was formally ceded to it under the Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye (1919).
After World War II, the Italian and Austrian Foreign Ministers signed the Gruber-De Gasperi Agreement, creating the autonomous region of Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, consisting of the autonomous provinces of Trentino and South Tyrol. Since the treaty, Trentino has enjoyed considerable autonomy from the Italian central government in Rome. It has its own elected government and legislative assembly.
In 1996, the Euroregion Tyrol-South Tyrol-Trentino was formed between the Austrian state of Tyrol and the Italian provinces of South Tyrol and Trentino. The boundaries of the association correspond to the old County of Tyrol. The aim is to promote regional peace, understanding and cooperation in many areas. The region's assemblies meet together as one on various occasions and have set up a common liaison office to the European Union in Brussels.
Geography
Trentino is a mountainous region. The Adige River flows through the central Trentino in a valley named after the river. The principal towns of Trentino lie in the Adige Valley, which has been a historical passage connecting Italy with Central Europe. Among other important valleys are Non Valley, known for its apple production, Sole Valley, Giudicarie, which has been historically connected by Trento and Brescia, Fiemme and Fassa, Lagarina, Mocheni, Sugana Valley and many others.
The province has an area of , and a total population of 524,826 (2010). There are 217 comuni (singular: comune), in the province.Province: Trento - Total Resident Population on 1st January 2010 by sex and marital status , ISTAT data.
The region is known for housing the Dolomites, a mountainous UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Marmolada, at above sea level, is the highest mountain in the Dolomites. The glacier on the Marmolada is also a landmark. Other notable mountains include the Kesselkogel Cermis, Crozzon di Brenta, Latemar, Piz Boè, and Vezzana.
The highest mountain situated completely within the Trentino borders is Presanella. The highest point is Monte Cevedale, located on the border with the Province of Sondrio.
Politics The 1972 second Statute of Autonomy for Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol devolved most legislative and executive competences from the regional level to the provincial level, creating de facto two separate regions. Administratively, the province enjoys a large degree of autonomy in the following sectors: health, education, welfare and transport infrastructure. The provincial council comprises 35 members, one of whom must by law be drawn from the Ladin minority.
In the elections in 2023, the centre-right coalition won 21 of 35 seats in the province's council. These 21 seats were distributed between the Trentino League with 6 seats (including the provincial governor ("presidente") Maurizio Fugatti), the Brothers of Italy (5) Fugatti for Governor (4), the Trentino Tyrolean Autonomist Party (3), The Civic List (2) and the Fassa Association which provides this session's legally mandated seat for the province's Ladin minority (1). The centre-left alliance makes up most of the opposition, with 13 seats. This includes 7 seats for the Democratic Party, 4 seats for Campobase and one seat each for the Greens and Left Alliance and Autonomy House. There was also a non-allied party, Wave, which won one seat.
The executive powers are attributed to the provincial government (Italian: Giunta Provinciale), headed by the governor (Presidente). Since 2018 the governor is Maurizio Fugatti. In 2023, Fugatti remained in power by receiving 51.8% of the vote for governor compared to 37.5% for Francesco Valduga of the centre-left coalition and about 10% for candidates aligned with neither major coalition.
In addition to serving as the legislative body for the province, the members of the council also combine with South Tyrol's council to form the regional council of Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol. Trentino's governor alternates with the governor of South Tyrol as president of the region. The regional government has its seat in the former Hotel Imperial in Trento.
Municipalities
The autonomous province has 166 municipalities:
Ala Albiano Aldeno Altavalle Altopiano della Vigolana Amblar-Don Andalo Arco Avio Baselga di Pinè Bedollo Besenello Bieno Bleggio Superiore Bocenago Bondone Borgo Chiese Borgo d'Anaunia Borgo Lares Borgo Valsugana Brentonico Bresimo Caderzone Terme Calceranica al Lago Caldes Caldonazzo Calliano Campitello di Fassa Campodenno Canal San Bovo Canazei Capriana Carisolo Carzano Castel Condino Castel Ivano Castello Tesino Castello-Molina di Fiemme Castelnuovo Cavalese Cavareno Cavedago Cavedine Cavizzana Cembra Lisignago Cimone Cinte Tesino Cis Civezzano Cles Comano Terme Commezzadura Contà Croviana Dambel Denno Dimaro Folgarida Drena Dro Fai della Paganella Fiavè Fierozzo Folgaria Fornace Frassilongo Garniga Terme Giovo Giustino Grigno Imer Isera Lavarone Lavis Ledro Levico Terme Livo Lona-Lases Luserna Madruzzo Malè Massimeno Mazzin Mezzana Mezzano Mezzocorona Mezzolombardo Moena Molveno Mori Nago-Torbole Nogaredo Nomi Novaledo Novella Ospedaletto Ossana Palù del Fersina Panchià Peio Pellizzano Pelugo Pergine Valsugana Pieve di Bono-Prezzo Pieve Tesino Pinzolo Pomarolo Porte di Rendena Predaia Predazzo Primiero San Martino di Castrozza Rabbi Riva del Garda Romeno Roncegno Terme Ronchi Valsugana Ronzo-Chienis Ronzone Roverè della Luna Rovereto Ruffrè-Mendola Rumo Sagron Mis Samone San Giovanni di Fassa San Lorenzo Dorsino San Michele all'Adige Sant'Orsola Terme Sanzeno Sarnonico Scurelle Segonzano Sella Giudicarie Sfruz Soraga di Fassa Sover Spiazzo Spormaggiore Sporminore Stenico Storo Strembo Telve Telve di Sopra Tenna Tenno Terragnolo Terre d'Adige Terzolas Tesero Tione di Trento Ton Torcegno Trambileno Tre Ville Trento Valdaone Valfloriana Vallarsa Vallelaghi Vermiglio Vignola-Falesina Villa Lagarina Ville d'Anaunia Ville di Fiemme Volano Ziano di Fiemme
Districts
Due to the division of the province into the 166 municipalities (comuni/Gemeinden), often of small or even tiny size, in the late 1970s, eleven larger units known as districts (comprensori) were introduced. The municipalities forming a district elect the council for that district. However, this tier of government has provoked criticism, and, in 2006, a reform created fifteen more homogeneous "Valley Communities" (comunità di valle, Talgemeinden) and one territory including the municipalities of Trento, Cimone, Aldeno and Garniga Terme (see Municipalities of Trentino).
#NameMunicipalitiesInhabitantsCapitalMap1Comunità territoriale della Val di Fiemme918,567Cavalese2Comunità di Primiero59,836Tonadico3Comunità Valsugana e Tesino1825,694Borgo Valsugana4Comunità Alta Valsugana e Bersntol1545,228Pergine Valsugana5Comunità della Valle di Cembra710,854Cembra6Comunità della Val di Non2937,143Cles7Comunità della Valle di Sole1315,020Malè8Comunità delle Giudicarie2535,647Tione di Trento9Comunità Alto Garda e Ledro742,955Riva del Garda10Comunità della Vallagarina1778,482Rovereto11Comun General de Fascia69,195Pozza di Fassa12Magnifica Comunità degli Altipiani Cimbri34,442Lavarone13Comunità Rotaliana-Königsberg725,953Mezzocorona14Comunità della Paganella54,731Andalo15Val d'Adige territory4110,061none16Comunità della Valle dei Laghi39,349Vezzano
As of 2009, the only municipalities with a population over 20,000 were Trento, Rovereto, and Pergine Valsugana.
Demographics
As of 2026, the population is 548,684, of which 49.5% are male, and 50.5% are female. Minors make up 15.7% of the population, and seniors make up 24.5%.
Languages