Secret Trentino-Alto Adige: 10 Places Beyond the Postcard Dolomites

Trentino-Alto Adige is Italy's most visited region per capita: 60 million overnight stays a year. But tourism concentrates in the eastern Dolomites (Cortina, Val Gardena, Tre Cime, Alpe di Siusi). The rest — Val Rendena, inner Ladinia, Val Venosta, Sarentino, Val di Non — is world-class and comparatively unbothered.

1. Val Rendena and the Brenta Dolomites

The Val Rendena, in western Trentino, climbs toward the Brenta Dolomites (a UNESCO site). Base yourself in Madonna di Campiglio (for skiing) or, better still, in Pinzolo, Carisolo, or Spiazzo for a more authentic feel. Trails include the Tuckett Refuge route.

2. Val di Non and its canyons

The Val di Non is Italy's DOP apple valley, dotted with castles like Castel Thun (a perfect survival of Habsburg aristocratic life). The Rio Sass Canyon and the Gole del Rio Sass are spectacular gorges strung with suspended walkways.

Gole del Rio Sass →

3. Cycling the Val Venosta

The Val Venosta (western Alto Adige, near the Austrian border) offers an 80-kilometer cycle path from Merano to Malles. It passes through Silandro, Naturno, and Glorenza (a walled village). An excellent bike-and-train combination.

4. The Ladin valleys: Val Gardena, Val Badia, Val di Fassa

The four Ladin valleys (Val Gardena, Val Badia, Val di Fassa, Livinallongo) are Rhaetian in origin. Ladin language and traditions still thrive. Val Badia (San Cassiano, Corvara) is less crowded than Val Gardena. Base in Colfosco to explore the Sella group with fewer tourists.

5. Lake Braies (but at 6 in the morning)

Lake Braies is among the most photographed spots in Italy. In peak season it is crowded beyond reason. But at 6 a.m., before the paid parking lot opens, it is the quietest place in the world. The alternatives: Lake Anterselva, Lake Dobbiaco, both less famous.

6. Merano and the thermal baths

Merano (unlike Bolzano) remains overlooked by Italian tourists themselves. Its Terme di Merano (spa, saunas, pools), the Gardens of Sissi at Castel Tirolo, and the Liberty-style old town make for an Austrian-caliber spa weekend at Italian prices.

7. Trento and the Muse

Trento boasts the Duomo (site of the famed Council), the Castello del Buonconsiglio (with its late-Gothic Cycle of the Months frescoes), and the MUSE (Museum of Sciences by Renzo Piano), one of the loveliest science museums in Europe. A city too often skipped by the hurried traveler.

8. Tyrolean Sarentino

The Val Sarentino (Sarntal), above Bolzano, is forgotten Ladinia: a tight-knit Tyrolean community, traditional dress, Haflinger horses, and alpine malghe (mountain dairy farms). Trails such as the Meraner Höhenweg. Base yourself in Sarentino.

9. Bolzano beyond Ötzi

The South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology and its resident Ötzi (the Similaun man, 5,300 years old) are famous. Less-visited: the old town of Bolzano (Piazza Walther, the Portici, the Dominican church with its fourteenth- and fifteenth-century frescoes), and the Gries quarter with its Benedictine abbey.

10. Val di Peio and Val di Sole

The Val di Sole and Val di Peio, in western Trentino, are less renowned than Val Gardena but every bit as beautiful. The Stelvio National Park (Trentino side) hosts marmots, chamois, and the Brenta brown bear. Skiing at Marilleva/Folgarida, trekking in summer.

When should I go?

June through mid-September for trekking, December through March for skiing. Late September to early October: Dolomite foliage, the finest photographs in the world. November: Christmas markets in Trento, Bolzano, and Merano.

How should I plan my trip?

Weekend: Val di Non + Castel Thun, or Merano + Val Venosta. Week: Trento, Val Rendena, Bolzano, Val Badia, and Merano.