Faedo
Faedo, a Municipality immersed in the history and nature of Trentino
Faedo was a small municipality in the autonomous province of Trento, located amidst green hills, between beech forests and terraced vineyards. This village, which has about 642 inhabitants, was an important mining center already in the Middle Ages.
The origin of the name Faedo
The toponym derives from the Latin "fagus", meaning "beech", with the addition of the suffix "-ētum" which means "beechwood". Faedo was first documented in the 12th century and in ancient German-language documents it was called "Vaid" or "Welsch Vaid", which means "non-German", alluding to the ethnicity of the community.
The history of Faedo
Faedo was an important mining center in the late Middle Ages, famous for its canopi, mentioned since 1185. In 1492-1495 it was also the seat of a mining tribunal.
The mining activity lasted in alternating phases until 1777, when the rights were ceded from the Episcopal Principality of Trento to the County of Tyrol. In recent times, Faedo has returned under the direct control of the jurisdiction of Castello di Monreale (San Michele all'Adige).
In the 1920s, the construction of a modern tunnel, the Faedo Mine, was started, a few hundred meters downstream of the village, where silver-bearing galena was extracted. After continuing until 1956, the mine was definitively closed and also caused serious problems due to internal collapses.
Monuments and places to visit in Faedo
Among the monuments and places to visit in Faedo, there are some churches and the Monreale Castle.
The Church of the Most Holy Redeemer and the Church of Sant'Agata are both located in the Municipality of San Michele all'Adige and are architectural works of historical interest.
The Monreale Castle, located in the same locality of the municipality of San Michele, is an ancient fortress dating back to the medieval period.
The demographics of Faedo
From 1951 to 2020, the population of Faedo remained fairly stable at around 642 inhabitants.
Administration of Faedo
The municipal territory has undergone some changes over time: in 1928 it was aggregated by the fascist regime to Grumo (San Michele all'Adige) and to the municipality of San Michele all'Adige. In 1953, the municipality of Faedo was reconstituted, again detaching its territory from that of San Michele.
Since 2010, Faedo has been an integral part of the Rotaliana-Königsberg Community, a union of several Trentino municipalities.
In 2020, following a referendum, the municipality of Faedo was annexed back to the municipality of San Michele all'Adige.
Conclusions
Faedo is a small village immersed in nature, with a history that roots back to the Middle Ages. Despite its definitive closure, the Faedo Mine is still remembered today as one of the symbols of the community, together with the Monreale Castle and the churches of Sant'Agata and the Most Holy Redeemer. If you pass by Trento, it is worth visiting this magical and charming place.
