15-07-2025
Where to visit in Trentino, Italy's beautiful ‘Little Finland' of 300 lakes
Luca Torta was born in Venice, Italy, but does not plan to return there as he has found his home in Trento.
Forty years ago, he set up a coffee bar in this northern Italian city, right next to the Torre Negri, one of the area's many must-see spots. He is currently experimenting with a licorice-flavoured coffee.
'Trento offers a great quality of life because it's still quiet and peaceful here,' says Torta, who is a fan of the fact that the city centre is car-free and you can easily stroll around everywhere.
Trento, with its piazzas and narrow streets, is often underrated compared to other Italian cities. Founded more than 2,000 years ago by the Celts, then conquered by the Romans, the city has just as much Mediterranean charm as nearby, often-overcrowded Verona. It also has palaces and other magnificent buildings, such as the Castello del Buonconsiglio.
The Romans saw the strategic advantages of the city's location in the Adige Valley early on – excavations beneath the old town reveal a sophisticated canal system from ancient Tridentum, as Trento was known in Latin.
Its abundance of water remains the cornerstone of the wealth of the wider Trentino province, of which Trento is the capital. It has been using hydroelectric power to generate electricity since World War II, and it continues to supply other parts of the country.
