The holidays are approaching, and although the spirit is undoubtedly different this year, this time of anticipation brings with it all the magic of Christmas. Never before has there been such a desire to surround oneself with goodness and beauty, to find serenity and warmth, to experience the festive atmosphere that characterizes these days.
That’s why the city of Trent is dressed in light!
The new illuminations brighten up the Christmas squares and the Children’s Village, and to enjoy them to the fullest you can join the Trento by Night initiative, guided tours of the cityilluminated.
This year there may not be the traditional stalls, although the Trent Christmas Market remains the most anticipated event, the true heart of Christmas. So here is the initiative of the Trento, Monte Bondone, Valle dei Laghi APT: “The Christmas Market at your home,” a virtual showcase to browse through traditional products… a bit like walking through the squares of Trento!
Alpine songs brighten Trento
Elegant and striking, the new illuminations that festively dress up the city of Trent give a feeling of coziness and warmth. And that is precisely the goal: to warm the hearts of citizens and tourists along the route of the “Giro al Sass,” as the people of Trentino call the Saturday afternoon stroll through the main streets of downtown. Here the “Artist Lights” installation takes its inspiration from traditional mountain songs from Trentino: the most famous verses, “Quel mazzolin di fiori,” “Paganella” “Ndormenzete popin,” and “La madonina,” will unfold like a luminous score.
In addition to the streets and squares of the historic center, this year the illuminations also decorate the neighborhoods of Le Albere and Piedicastello and, through an initiative of theTrento, Monte Bondone, Valle dei Laghi Tourist Board, also the Mausoleum of Cesare Battisti on the Doss Trento hill, which stands on the right bank of the Adige River. A special visual spectacle that enhances a monument of great historical value and place of memory, as well as offering an illuminated view of the entire city.
Strolling through the streets of downtown, you may happen to come across many small three-dimensional shiny paper stars hanging in the windows of Trentino residents… it is the “Star of Light,” an initiative of the Trento City Council. Families in the city, as well as schools and residences for the elderly, received a star at home to be assembled and hung up to become, through reflected light, a point of light for Trent.
Trento by Night, a visit to the illuminated city
To fully enjoy the city’s innovative Christmas lighting,APT Trento, Monte Bondone, Valle dei Laghi is organizing “Trento by Night” for the first time. Accompanied by an experienced guide, you will go on a discovery tour of the city’s history and secrets, wrapped in the magical atmosphere of Christmas lights, in complete safety. The tours, reserved for a maximum of 25 people, are held on Friday, Dec. 4, 11 and 18 from 5 to 7 p.m. Participation is free, but reservations are required.
Given the success of past years, guided tours of the city’s historic center continue during the Christmas season. The appointment is for Saturday at 3 p.m. at the APT in Dante Square, and the initiative is by reservation and chargeable.
Knowledgeable and experienced guides allow visitors to discover curiosities and anecdotes about the city and its millennia-old history of Central European tradition and Italian culture, the evidence of which is perfectly preserved, era after era, in the archaeological sites, museums of excellence and palaces of the historic center.
#ChristmasMarketYourHome.
The colors of the stalls, the smell of mulled wine and the cheerfulness of the exhibitors, all those delicacies and alpine handicrafts that just seeing them makes Christmas. There is no doubt about it: the Trent Christmas Market is the true heart of the holiday season and the city, and this year we will miss it!
For this reason, the Trento, Monte Bondone, Valle dei Laghi Tourist Board presents the initiative “The Christmas Market in your home.” A virtual showcase, a new space for the visibility and sale of one’s products, in addition to traditional distribution channels, available to Mercatino operators directly on the website www.mercatinodinatale.tn.it.
All accompanied by the double hashtag #ChristmasMarketACasaTua #Trento.
Entering the website section will feel like browsing through the stalls of the Christmas Market, you will be able to look at the products, read about them, and choose your Christmas gifts.
24,000 lights for the big Christmas tree
Trent’s Bright Christmas involves the city’s squares. Starting right from the elegant Piazza Duomo, one of the most beautiful squares in Italy. The large Christmas Tree, a fir tree sourced from Monte Bondone and decorated with as many as 24,000 lights, and the sparkling ball of light, positioned at the foot of the Civic Tower, find their place here. The Cathedral, the Neptune Fountain, which the recent restoration has restored to its original splendor, and the city’s iconic buildings come to life through special plays of light and sound that are truly evocative.
Lodron Square hosts the majestic wooden n ativity scene depicting the Nativity, designed and created by students of the “A. Vittoria” Art Institute and the CFP Enaip Institute of Villazzano. While an interesting open-air exhibition, curated by the Trentino Historical Museum Foundation, enriches the beautiful Cesare Battisti Square. It is called “It was December” and allows people to relive events and emotions that occurred in December between 1960 and 2000, thanks to family footage, photographs and press reports.
Santa Maria Maggiore Square is traditionally the Children’s Square, a small kingdom that takes on the appearance of a magical fairy tale thanks to the special setting. Indeed, the legends of Trentino take shape through lights, sounds thanks to large three-dimensional images. The Christmas Village houses Santa’s little house, with the ever-present compass where you can lay your classic letter, the enchanted forest and the nativity scene from Val Gardena. Also, 40 years after Gianni Rodari‘s death, a path made of lights brings to life poems, nursery rhymes and fairy tales.
Breathe 2020, color your mood with the “all or nothing” initiative
What mood are you in today? You can communicate it through Breathe 2020, a truly original sound and visual installation that enlivens Fair Square. A sphere that through the lighting of various colors reproduces the mood of people. Everyone can access one of seven interactive Light and Sound houses and here choose their mood from: joy, sadness, fear, pride, anger, surprise, disgust. The sum of the colors and sounds produced in each house will spill into the square, returning people’s choices in real time and uniquely amplifying the visual and aural results. A small fee is required to participate in the initiative, organized by Confeventi e Artisti, Unione Commercio and Consorzio Trento Iniziative.
Its actual realization will take place only in the case of reaching the budget of 100,000 euros, the cost of the installation, through free donations to professionals and companies related to the world of Trentino Entertainment. This is why it is referred to as an “all or nothing” initiative; if the goal is not met, all donations will be returned automatically and at no charge.
The always-connected places of culture
In this time of uncertainty and closures, cultural venues have equipped themselves to be always connected and in this way close to their audiences. This is the case, for example, with the Muse, Trento’s Science Museum, which, in addition to maintaining contact through social media, organizes free online events that can be streamed or reviewed at a later date(www.muse.it).
Buonconsiglioat home is the interesting initiative of the Buonconsiglio Castle, a format of the museum shot to tell the story of the castle with short videos, with new contributions every week. From December 4, 2020 , the illuminated gardens of Buonconsiglio Castle will also be open.
Webinars open to all are also organized by the Tridentine Diocesan Museum, with continuous updates on activities, guided tours and exhibitions, including those of international significance as in the case of the Quarantine Museum.
Getting to know the city with apps
A Christmas all to experience, even virtually!
Useful for getting around the city, the My Trentapp contains allthe information on transportation, pharmacies, tourist routes. Plus more descriptions of palaces, monuments, churches and archaeological areas. But in addition to the official City of Trenton app, there are others that allow people to explore the city while having fun. Such is the case with Hidden Trento, an app that allows one to relive a day in the life of daily life in 1520 Trento with the guidance of German hostess Ursula.
An app entirely dedicated to curious children is Progetto kidsgogreen, a virtual itinerary to discover the secrets of the city, from the hidden mysteries of Piazza Duomo to the imposing Castello del Buonconsiglio and the treasures housed in the Museo Diocesano Tridentino.
Info: APT Trento, Monte Bondone, Valle dei Laghi – Tel. 0461 216000 – www.discovertrento.it
(Photo by Romano Magrone)
