Trento

The origins of Trento are uncertain. It lies on the river-route to Bolzano and the low Alpine passes of Brenner and the Reschen Pass through the Alps. Some scholars maintain it was a Rhaetian settlement: the Adige area was however influenced by neighbouring populations, including the (Adriatic) Veneti, the Etruscans and the Gauls (a Celtic population). According to other theories, the latter instead founded the city during the 4th century BC. Trento was conquered by the Romans in the 1st century BC, after several clashes with the Rhaetian tribes. Julius Caesar re-founded it as a Roman municipality when Rome extended citizenship to the part of Cisalpine Gaul north of the River Po. The Latin name given to the settlement was Tridentum, meaning "Three-tooth place" or "Trident-town" (tri- "three" + dēns, dent- "tooth"). …

The township of Trento encompasses the city centre 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 Monte Bondone). Various distinctive suburbs still retain their traditional identity of rural or mountain villages. Trento lies in a wide glacial valley known as the Adige valley, just south of the Dolomite Mountains, where the Fersina River and Avisio rivers join the Adige River (the second longest river in Italy). River Adige is one of the three primary south-flowing Alpine rivers; its broadly curving course alongside Trento was straightened in 1850. The valley is surrounded by mountains, including Vigolana (2,150 m (7,050 ft)), Monte Bondone (2,181 m (7,156 ft)), Paganella (2,124 m (6,969 ft)), Marzola (1,747 m (5,732 ft)) and Monte Calisio (1,096 m (3,596 ft)). …

MUSE - Museo delle Scienze, museum of science and natural history. The museum was planned by Renzo Piano and opened in 2013. Municipal Gallery, part of the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art of Trento and Rovereto (MART). Regional Museum of Art, in the Castello del Buonconsiglio, former seat of the Prince-Bishops of Trento. The Tridentine Diocesan Museum, located in the Palazzo Pretorio, next to the Cathedral Square of Trento, shows the artistic treasures of the diocese of Trento as well as the influence of the council on the city. Viote Alpine Botanical Garden, located on Monte Bondone in Le Viote, founded in 1938. Trento's surroundings are known for the mountain landscapes and are a destination of both summer and winter tourism. Museo dell'Aeronautica Gianni Caproni, an aeronautical museum located in Mattarello, near Trento's airport. …