Predoi
Trentino-Alto Adige: a land of mountains and plains
Hello friends, today I will talk to you about Trentino-Alto Adige, a special status Italian region located in northeastern Italy. With its 1,078,893 inhabitants and a population density of 78.98 inhabitants per km², this region is one of the least densely populated in Italy.
The territory of Trentino-Alto Adige is mostly mountainous, except for the Adige Valley and the Valle dei Laghi. Here, in fact, you can admire mountain ranges such as the Dolomites of Sesto, Braies and d'Ampezzo, which rise up to over 3,900 m in height. In the autonomous province of Trento, there are also two large flat areas: the Piana Rotaliana and the Basso Sarca.
Despite the presence of these numerous mountains, Trentino-Alto Adige also offers very suggestive landscapes, such as those of Lake Garda. In fact, in the southern part of the region, near the Trentino shore of Lake Garda, the altitude drops to 65 m above sea level.
Special autonomy
Trentino-Alto Adige is a region with special status. This means that it is not administered like the other Italian regions, but is largely expropriated and many of the competences are transferred directly to the autonomous province of Trento and the autonomous province of Bolzano.
This is due to the different linguistic composition of the population. In fact, in Trentino, the official language is Italian, while in Alto Adige, the language of the majority is German, with the exception of five municipalities where the official language is Italian and eight municipalities where the linguistic majority is Ladino.
For this reason, the region was assigned to Italy in 1919 without any plebiscite being called as had happened for the various pre-unitary states.
Cross-border cooperation
Trentino-Alto Adige, together with Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia, belongs to the geographical macro-area of Tre Venezie. In addition, together with the federal state of Tyrol (Austria), it is part of a cross-border cooperation association established within the European Union, the Euregio Tyrol-South Tyrol-Trentino.
The Euregio Tyrol-South Tyrol-Trentino brings together the territories of the ancient County of Tyrol, in order to promote cooperation and economic and social integration between these territories.
Conclusions
In short, Trentino-Alto Adige is a land of mountains and plains, with special status. The different linguistic composition of the population has led to the expropriation of the region and the transfer of competences to the autonomous province of Trento and the autonomous province of Bolzano. However, this has not prevented a deep cross-border cooperation with Tyrol, Austria.
If you have the opportunity to visit Trentino-Alto Adige, do not miss the opportunity to admire the Dolomites and Lake Garda!
