# Trentino: 19.6 million nights, and bears

> Trentino and South Tyrol share a historic region and act as two destinations. Four Dolomite systems, a returned bear population, a forest owned since 1111.

URL: https://myitalia.it/regions/provincia-trento
Last updated: 2026-09-02

Trentino recorded 19,644,628 overnight stays in 2024, 4.21% of the Italian total, roughly half what the neighboring province of Bolzano takes, and the two operate as separate destinations despite sharing one historic region.

## Two provinces, one region, two sets of rules

The 37,046,803 nights logged in South Tyrol against 19,644,628 here isn't a quality gap, it's a market gap: German speaking Europe books the northern province and largely stops there. Trentino draws a more Italian and more Central European mix.

Both provinces are autonomous, with their own budgets, transport contracts and tourist boards, so a pass, a parking rule or a bus ticket rarely crosses the border. Trentino-Alto Adige as a whole holds two World Heritage sites, the Dolomites and the Alpine pile dwellings, and both are shared with other regions.

## Four of the nine Dolomite systems

Of the nine mountain systems that make up the Dolomites property, inscribed in 2009, four fall in Trentino: the Marmolada, the Pale di San Martino with the Vette Feltrine, Catinaccio and Latemar, and the Brenta Dolomites.

Brenta is the odd one. It's the only dolomitic group standing apart from the rest of the range, west of the Adige valley, which is why the rock looks familiar and the map does not. The whole property runs to 142,000 hectares and has been managed since May 13, 2010 by the Fondazione Dolomiti UNESCO.

## The Marmolada, and what happened in 2022

Punta Penia on the Marmolada reaches 3,343 m, the highest point in the Dolomites, and the mountain carries the largest glacier in the range. On July 3, 2022 a serac broke away from that glacier and eleven people were killed.

The glacier is still there and still shrinking. Access is managed and conditions are assessed day by day, so a guided crossing isn't something you arrange on the morning. The [Marmolada collapse](/stories/the-marmolada-collapse) has its own page.

## The bears were brought back on purpose

The Life Ursus project began in 1996, and between 1999 and 2002 ten bears from Slovenia were released into the Adamello Brenta Natural Park. Estimates put the population at 60 to 78 animals in 2018 and close to 98 by 2023.

This is a different situation from the Apennines, where the surviving population never disappeared. Here a species was reintroduced into a valley system with towns, farms and ski lifts in it, and the resulting management debate is local, current and unresolved.

Adamello Brenta itself dates from 1967 and covers 62,051 hectares, the largest protected area in Trentino. It contains more than eighty lakes, the Adamello glacier and the Brenta Dolomites, and it is recognized as a UNESCO Geopark.

## A community that has owned its forest since 1111

The Magnifica Comunita di Fiemme has administered 20,000 hectares of forest and pasture for more than nine hundred years, since the Gebardine Pacts of 1111 with bishop Gebardo of Trento. It works for the inhabitants of eleven towns: nine in the Val di Fiemme plus Moena and Trodena.

Its seat is a Renaissance palace at Cavalese, and its bodies still carry their medieval names, the Consiglio dei Regolani, the Comun Generale and the Scario. From the Paneveggio forest inside its land comes the resonance spruce used for violins. The story is at [a forest owned since 1111](/stories/a-forest-owned-since-1111).

## Altitude, apples, and the lake

At Passo Rolle, 2,004 m up in the Dolomites, the climate isn't the climate of the valley floor. The 1991 to 2020 normals there give an annual mean of 37.8°F (3.2°C), with February at 24.1°F (minus 4.4°C). Riva del Garda, 65 m above sea level, is the lowest point in the province and has 17,784 residents.

Mela Val di Non DOP, from the Non and Sole valleys, has been in the EU register since September 23, 2003, and the orchards run up both sides of those valleys. Crowd levels by month are at [how busy Trentino gets](/how-busy/in-provincia-trento).

## FAQ

### What is the difference between Trentino and South Tyrol?

Two autonomous provinces inside one historic region, with separate budgets, rules and tourist boards. Trentino recorded 19,644,628 overnight stays in 2024 against 37,046,803 in South Tyrol. Trentino is Italian speaking, South Tyrol mainly German speaking.

### Are there bears in Trentino?

Yes, and they were reintroduced deliberately. The Life Ursus project started in 1996 and released ten bears from Slovenia into the Adamello Brenta park between 1999 and 2002. Estimates went from 60 to 78 individuals in 2018 to around 98 in 2023.

### Which Dolomite groups are in Trentino?

Four of the nine systems inscribed in 2009: the Marmolada, the Pale di San Martino with the Vette Feltrine, Catinaccio and Latemar, and the Brenta Dolomites, which are the only dolomitic group physically separated from the rest of the range.

### How high is the Marmolada?

3,343 m at Punta Penia, the highest summit in the Dolomites, and it holds the largest glacier in the range. On July 3, 2022 a serac collapsed on that glacier and eleven people were killed. Conditions on the glacier are checked and restricted case by case.

### Is Lake Garda in Trentino?

Its northern tip is. Riva del Garda, with 17,784 residents, sits at 65 m above sea level, the lowest point of the autonomous province of Trento, a short distance from the Brenta Dolomites. The rest of the lake is split between Lombardy and Veneto.

## Sources

| Fact | Source | Confidence | Valid until |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nel 2024 Provincia Autonoma di Trento ha registrato 19.644.628 presenze turistiche. pari al 4.21% del totale nazionale | [Eurostat](https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/api/dissemination/statistics/1.0/data/tour_occ_nin2) | medium | 2027-07-31 |
| Nel 2024 Provincia Autonoma di Bolzano/Bozen ha registrato 37.046.803 presenze turistiche. pari al 7.95% del totale nazionale | [Eurostat](https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/api/dissemination/statistics/1.0/data/tour_occ_nin2) | medium | 2027-07-31 |
| In Trentino-Alto Adige ricadono 2 siti UNESCO del Patrimonio Mondiale (2026) | [UNESCO World Heritage Centre](https://whc.unesco.org/en/statesparties/it/); [Ministero della Cultura - Ufficio UNESCO](https://unesco.cultura.gov.it/projects/); [Wikidata (query SPARQL su P1435=Q9259, P17=Q38, P757, P131)](https://query.wikidata.org/sparql) | medium | 2027-08-31 |
| La Mela Val di Non DOP, prodotta nelle valli di Non e Sole in provincia di Trento, e registrata nel registro UE dal 23 settembre 2003. | [MASAF - Elenco DOP e IGP prodotti agricoli (PDF, agg. 11/06/2026)](https://www.masaf.gov.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeAttachment.php/L/IT/D/1%252Fa%252F2%252FD.e7bdb4ebe6d458c7925a/P/BLOB%3AID%3D15453/E/pdf?mode=download); [Commissione europea - DG AGRI, registro eAmbrosia](https://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/eambrosia/geographical-indications-register/) | high | 2099-12-31 |
| Dei nove sistemi che compongono il bene UNESCO Dolomiti, iscritto nel 2009, quattro ricadono in Trentino: Marmolada, Pale di San Martino con le Vette Feltrine, Catinaccio-Latemar e Dolomiti di Brenta, l'unico gruppo dolomitico separato dal resto della catena | [Provincia autonoma di Trento](https://www.provincia.tn.it/Argomenti/Focus/Riconoscimenti-UNESCO-in-Trentino/Dolomiti-Patrimonio-dell-Umanita) | medium | 2099-12-31 |
| La Marmolada, con i 3.343 metri di Punta Penia, e' la cima piu' alta delle Dolomiti e ospita il ghiacciaio dolomitico piu' esteso; il 3 luglio 2022 il crollo di un seracco ha ucciso undici persone sul ghiacciaio | [Wikipedia](https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marmolada) | medium | 2029-12-31 |
| L'orso bruno e' tornato in Trentino con il progetto Life Ursus avviato nel 1996: fra il 1999 e il 2002 dieci orsi furono liberati dalla Slovenia nel Parco Adamello Brenta e la popolazione e' arrivata a circa un centinaio di esemplari negli anni Venti del 2000 | [Wikipedia (dati dai rapporti Grandi Carnivori della Provincia autonoma di Trento)](https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parco_naturale_Adamello-Brenta) | medium | 2027-12-31 |
| Il Parco naturale Adamello Brenta, istituito nel 1967, con 62.051 ettari e' la piu' vasta area protetta del Trentino: comprende oltre ottanta laghi, il ghiacciaio dell'Adamello e le Dolomiti di Brenta, ed e' riconosciuto come Geoparco UNESCO | [Parco Naturale Adamello Brenta](https://www.pnab.it/); [Wikipedia](https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parco_naturale_Adamello-Brenta) | medium | 2029-12-31 |
| La Magnifica Comunita' di Fiemme amministra da oltre novecento anni, dai Patti Gebardini del 1111, circa 20.000 ettari di boschi e pascoli per conto degli abitanti di undici comuni della Val di Fiemme: dalla foresta di Paneveggio esce l'abete di risonanza usato per i violini | [Wikipedia](https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnifica_Comunit%C3%A0_di_Fiemme) | medium | 2099-12-31 |
| La punta settentrionale del lago di Garda e' trentina: Riva del Garda, 17.784 abitanti, sta a 65 metri sul livello del mare, il punto piu' basso della provincia autonoma di Trento, a poche decine di chilometri dalle Dolomiti di Brenta | [Wikipedia (dati ISTAT e APPA)](https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riva_del_Garda) | medium | 2027-12-31 |
| Alta montagna alpina: normali climatiche 1991-2020 della stazione Passo Rolle (Dolomiti, Trentino) (2004 m s.l.m.). Temperatura media annua 3.2 °C; mese piu' freddo feb (-4.4 °C di media), mese piu' caldo lug (11.9 °C di media). | [WMO Climatological Standard Normals 1991-2020 - serie trasmessa dall'Italia (stazioni del Servizio Meteorologico dell'Aeronautica Militare), archivio NOAA NCEI accession 0253808](https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/6.6/data/0-data/Region-6-WMO-Normals-9120/Italy/CSV/Passo_Rolle_16021.csv); [ISPRA - Sezione Climatologia Operativa, applicazione 'Valori climatici normali'](https://valori-climatici-normali.isprambiente.it/) | high | 2032-12-31 |

## Image

https://media.myitalia.it/media/region.provincia-trento.1600.jpg
Author: Bops92. License: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0).
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Reflection,_Lago_di_Toblino.jpg

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