Where the Catholic Church reinvented itself — Alpine Italy at its finest
Trento is a quietly magnificent city in the shadow of the Dolomites — capital of Trentino-Alto Adige, with a crisp Alpine character that blends Italian café culture with Austrian solidity. It's historically famous as the site of the Council of Trent (1545–1563), the Catholic Church's sweeping Counter-Reformation response to Martin Luther. Today it's known for excellent food and wine (Trentodoc sparkling wines rival Champagne), the MUSE science museum, and as a gateway to some of the Dolomites' finest hiking.
Trento began as a Roman town on the Via Claudia Augusta. In the 16th century it became one of the most significant cities in Christendom — Emperor Charles V and Pope Paul III chose it as the neutral site for the Council of Trent, which met in three phases from 1545 to 1563 and defined Catholic doctrine in response to the Protestant Reformation, setting the terms of Christianity for the next four centuries. The city was part of Austria-Hungary until 1919 when it was annexed by Italy after WWI.