Valsugana

Last updated

View of Caldonazzo and Levico lakes from Cima Vezzena Alta Valsugana con laghi Levico e Caldonazzo.jpg
View of Caldonazzo and Levico lakes from Cima Vezzena
Map of Trentino with Sugana valley (Valsugana) marked in red. Valsuganaposizione.png
Map of Trentino with Sugana valley (Valsugana) marked in red.

The Valsugana (Italian : Valsugana, German : Suganertal) or Sugana Valley is one of the most important valleys in the autonomous province of Trentino in Northern Italy. Leading into the Alps' foothills, an important main north-south Roman road, the Via Claudia Augusta, one of Europe's main roads since its construction in Antiquity, winds along the valley and connects the Adriatic with the historic Holy Roman Empire and Frankish kingdom's centre of Augsburg.

The sturdy construction of this long-distance road running through the valley has made it historically one of the most important north-south European transit lanes because the route from the Veneto region to points near and beyond the famed Brenner pass is significantly shorter than proceeding Venice to Verona to Brenner. Henry II used the road to bypass a position blocked by a rival allowing him to gain the throne of the Holy Roman Empire.

The Valle dei Mocheni is also of historic interest as it has remained a German-speaking enclave in modern Italy to this day. This came about as during the High Middle Ages while the region was ruled by the Holy Roman Empire (many Emperors were also Kings of Italy) many German-speaking farmers and miners settled into the region.

The western part of the valley nearest Trento is an extensive tourist area which began as a health spa during the late 19th century when the Levico Terme baths were established and became popular with the upper classes. This parallels the history of what became modern vacations and resort towns in much of the world (compare St Moritz, Mineral Wells, and Steamboat Springs), the situation in the valley being enhanced perhaps by the easy access both north and south given it by the sturdy Roman road, when roads were usually just dirt tracks with deep ruts and large puddles. Otherwise the scenery is marked by vineyards and orchards and groves of edible horse-chestnuts.

Nearby Lake Caldonazzo, and the village of Caldonazzo, is a further international tourist center located just south of the Dolomite Mountains, a southern foothill range of the higher Alps just to the North.

Together, Caldonazzo Lake and the Dolomites create one of the most beautiful regions of northern Italy and harbor a host of outdoor sporting activities, such as climbing, hiking, mountain biking, power boating, sailing, and windsurfing to name just a few.

46°03′N11°27′E / 46.050°N 11.450°E / 46.050; 11.450


Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trento</span> Comune in Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, Italy

Trento, also known in English as Trent, is a city on the Adige River in Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol in Italy. It is the capital of the autonomous province of Trento. In the 16th century, the city was the location of the Council of Trent. Formerly part of Austria and Austria-Hungary, it was annexed by Italy in 1919. With 118,142 inhabitants, Trento is the third largest Italian city in the Alps and second largest in the historical region of Tyrol.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brenner Pass</span> Mountain pass through the Alps; border between Italy and Austria

The Brenner Pass is a mountain pass over the Alps which forms the border between Italy and Austria. It is one of the principal passes of the Eastern Alpine range and has the lowest altitude among Alpine passes of the area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dolomites</span> Mountain range in the Italian Alps

The Dolomites, also known as the Dolomite Mountains, Dolomite Alps or Dolomitic Alps, are a mountain range in northeastern Italy. They form part of the Southern Limestone Alps and extend from the River Adige in the west to the Piave Valley in the east. The northern and southern borders are defined by the Puster Valley and the Sugana Valley. The Dolomites are in the regions of Veneto, Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol and Friuli-Venezia Giulia, covering an area shared between the provinces of Belluno, Vicenza, Verona, Trentino, South Tyrol, Udine and Pordenone.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geography of Austria</span>

Austria is a predominantly mountainous country in Central Europe, approximately between Germany, Italy and Hungary. It has a total area of 83,871 square kilometres (32,383 sq mi).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Principal passes of the Alps</span>

This article lists the principal mountain passes and tunnels in the Alps, and gives a history of transport across the Alps.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Tyrol</span> Autonomous province of Italy

South Tyrol is an autonomous province in northern Italy. An English translation of the official German and Italian names could be the Autonomous Province of Bolzano – South Tyrol, reflecting the multilingualism and different naming conventions in the area. Together with Trentino, South Tyrol forms the autonomous region of Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol. The province is the northernmost of Italy, the second largest with an area of 7,400 square kilometres (2,857 sq mi), and has a total population of about 534,000 inhabitants as of 2021. Its capital and largest city is Bolzano.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Valais</span> Canton of Switzerland

Valais, more formally, the Canton of Valais, is one of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation. It is composed of thirteen districts and its capital and largest city is Sion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol</span> Region of Italy

Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol is an autonomous region of Italy, located in the northern part of the country. The region has a population of 1.1 million, of whom 62% speak Italian as their mother tongue, 30% speak South Tyrolean German and several foreign languages are spoken by immigrant communities. Since the 1970s, most legislative and administrative powers have been transferred to the two self-governing provinces that make up the region: the province of Trento, commonly known as Trentino, and the province of Bolzano, commonly known as South Tyrol. In South Tyrol, German remains the sizeable majority language.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trentino</span> Autonomous province of Italy

Trentino 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. The province is composed of 166 comuni. Its capital is the city of Trento (Trent). The province covers an area of more than 6,000 km2 (2,300 sq mi), with a total population of 541,098 in 2019. Trentino is renowned for its mountains, such as the Dolomites, which are part of the Alps.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Province of Belluno</span> Province of Italy

The province of Belluno is a province in the Veneto region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Belluno.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geography of the Alps</span>

The Alps form a large mountain range dominating Central Europe, including parts of Italy, France, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria, Slovenia, Germany and Hungary.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastern Alps</span> Eastern part of the Alps mountain range

The Eastern Alps are usually defined as the area east of a line from Lake Constance and the Alpine Rhine valley, up to the Splügen Pass at the Alpine divide, and down the Liro River to Lake Como in the south. The peaks and mountain passes are lower than the Western Alps, while the range itself is broader and less arched.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Franzensfeste</span> Comune in Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, Italy

Franzensfeste is a comune and a village in South Tyrol in northern Italy. It is named after the large Franzensfeste Fortress erected from 1833 to 1838 and Franzensfeste station is also known as an important railway hub.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Puster Valley</span> District in Italy

The Puster Valley is one of the largest longitudinal valleys in the Alps that runs in an east-west direction between Lienz in East Tyrol, Austria, and Mühlbach near Brixen in South Tyrol, Italy. The South Tyrolean municipalities of the Puster Valley constitute the Puster Valley district.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fiemme Valley</span> Valley in Northern Italy

Fiemme Valley is a valley in the Trentino province, i.e. the southern half of the Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol region, in northern Italy, located in the Dolomites mountain region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Trentino</span> History of Trentino, Italy

The History of Trentino begins in the mid-Stone Age and continues to the present day when Trentino is part of the Italian Republic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cima Dodici</span> Mountain in Italy

Cima Dodici is a mountain on the border of Vicenza in Veneto and Trentino in Trentino Alto Adige, northern Italy, south of the village of Borgo Valsugana. It has an elevation of 2,336 metres. and is the highest peak in Vicenza. At 1,874 m prominence, it is an ultra prominent peak. The key col is near the village of Pergine Valsugana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tyrol</span> Region across the Alps

Tyrol is a historical region in the Alps of Northern Italy and western Austria. The area was historically the core of the County of Tyrol, part of the Holy Roman Empire, Austrian Empire and Austria-Hungary, from its formation in the 12th century until 1919. In 1919, following World War I and the dissolution of Austria-Hungary, it was divided into two modern administrative parts through the Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Werdenfelser Land</span>

The Werdenfelser Land is a region of Upper Bavaria that extends from Mittenwald in the south to Farchant. It includes parts of the Bavarian Alps. From the Middle Ages until the Thirty Years' War, the Werdenfelser Land was subject to the Prince-Bishop of Freising, not the Duke of Bavaria.

The South Tyrolean Unterland or Bozen Unterland is a section of the Etschtal valley stretching from the regional capital Bolzano (Bozen) down the Adige (Etsch) river to Tramin and Salorno (Salurn). The area is known for its history, particularly regarding Rhaetic, Roman, and Germanic archaeological sites; its bilingualism, and its viticulture; the Gewürztraminer grape originated here.