Trento and Sardagna

The first and most important thing we should tell you about Trento is to avoid coming here on Monday, if you can that is. Most of the shops are closed until 3pm and most restaurants remain closed throughout the day. The same goes for museums. If you have no choice and you are around Trento on Monday than you can always go and visit Pergine as Pergine's shops etc are open on Monday and closed on Wednesday. Sounds confusing? Welcome to Italy!

Trento is a nice small town in the north - east of Italy. When we say small, we should mention that the town population is more than 100 000 inhabitants so maybe it is not such a small town for some. Anyway, we often hear from people born and bread here that it's a place where not much goes on, but personally we prefer it that way. It's quiet and beautiful, and it's easy to get on foot to most of the places.  On Thursday there is a market in the main Piazza Duomo (near the cathedral, the focal point of Trento) where you can find clothes, shoes and fresh food.

We are not going to list all the attractions because you can find those on any official town website. What's more, the purpose of this blog is to show what you can do with your family here.

Your first stop should be a Tourist Information Office in via Manci 2, surprisignly open every day from 9am to 7pm. Don't worry if they don't seem very friendly, it's just the way people are here, and a good customer service is often lacking here. 

If you are tired of walking, right in the centre of the old town in Piazza Lodron you will find a playground for kids. A nice stop from walking and shopping, and in summer you can get a bit of shade here as well.

There is a Science Museum/ Museo Tridentino di Scienze Naturali which has a website in English as well. What's interesting is that it it has a soft play area for kids, called Area Bandus, open Tue-Sun from 10-18. It's got interesting toys, not the usual plastic things, a book corner and a table where you can play with playdough and sand. The age limit is not mentioned but I would reckon it is for children between the ages of 3 and 10 years old. The price is included in the museum ticket, or if you live in Trento you can buy a CARD for 1.50 euro and then each visit is 1 euro just for this area.

Here's the link for the Area Bandus: http://www.mtsn.tn.it/eventi/dettaglio.asp?id=54

Winter and the Advent time is nice in Trento because that's when the city hosts a Christmas market. The place offers mulled wine, traditional food from Trento and South Tirol and lots of hand made crafts, good for Christmas gifts although the prices of the latter can be a bit high. 
If possible avoid the busy time which falls on Sunday around December the 8th. That's when Italians have a long weekend so many of them choose this period to come to the Christmas Market. It gets so busy that it's impossible to walk and you feel like you are a tiny particle of water in a big river.

Father Christmas visits Trento in December and stays in this hut. (Last year it was Piazza Lodron)

February is the time of the Carnival which hasn't got a fixed date so you have to consult the calendar. Normally the celebrations last from Saturday until Tuesday. On these days you can find street performances, lots of children all dressed up and a big merry-go around in Piazza Fiera in Trento. Careful though because many shops are closed on Tuesday of the Carnival. My friend once wanted to buy some of those special sweets they eat here for Carnival but she could only watch the shop windows because the "pasticerie" shops were closed.

June is the month of Feste Vigiliane, when the locals celebrate their patron saint. Consult the official website of Trento but that's when there are stalls with local food, music and fireworks at night. Here's the link to the official website although it's only in Italian. http://www.festevigiliane.it/index.php

Here's the website of the Tourist Office of Trento, Monte Bondone and Valle dei Laghi:

http://www.apt.trento.it/en/Home.htm

useful websites: http://www.visittrentino.it/en/ all about the region of Trentino

http://www.meteotrentino.it/ the weather forecast for Trentino

Sardagna

From Sardagna you can get a very good view of Trento and the souroundings.

You can get there by car but it's much more fun to take the cable car from near the car park San Severino, just off the town centre, next to the Adige river. The ride only takes about 3-5 mins and you need a valid bus ticket (you can buy it there as well or you can find it in any tabaccheria).

****For groups with children only: if you come to Trento and want to take the bus, remember that you can get a special Family Bus Ticket/ Biglietto Famiglia. It's for a family of 2 adults and up to 4 children and it costs 1.80 euros at the time of writing. You can get the tickets at the tabaccheria and remember that you must validate your ticket on the bus.****

Here's the link with the timetable, mind though that it doesn't operate during windy weather.

http://www.bebtrentino.info/attrattive/Sardagna-terrazza.htm
http://orari.ttspa.it/TestTTOrariWebApp/pdf/ORARI_FUNIVIA.pdf

Funivia Trento Sardagna Srl Via Marconi Guglielmo 3 38100 Trento (TN)

Tel: 0461822075