UNESCO Recognitions in Trentino
The extraordinary natural and cultural heritage of the province of Trento, which bears witness to the deep bond between humankind and the environment, is also recognised internationally. A number of initiatives have been promoted under the auspices of UNESCO — the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation.
Four sites are inscribed on the World Heritage List: the Dolomites, a Natural World Heritage Site; the Prehistoric Pile-Dwelling Sites in the Alpine Arc; the Adamello Brenta Geopark; and the Alpi Ledrensi and Judicaria Biosphere Reserve – from the Dolomites to Lake Garda.
These are complemented by other important initiatives:the Art of Dry-Stone Walling and Mountaineering, both recognised as Intangible Cultural Heritage; the Chair in Engineering for Human and Sustainable Development at the University of Trento; ‘La Terrazza delle Stelle’, a UNESCO site ‘connected to the sky’; the partnership with the World Network of Water Museums; and the UNESCO Club of Trento.
Some of these designations are shared with other regions or countries: the Dolomites, for example, are shared with the Autonomous Province of Bolzano, the Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia; whilst the pile-dwelling sites form part of a network of similar monuments found in various areas of northern Italy and Europe. Mountaineering and the art of dry-stone walling are also heritage elements shared at an international level.
Taken together, these initiatives reflect the Trentino region’s commitment to the protection and promotion of a heritage that integrates nature, culture and knowledge, striking a harmonious balance between continuity and sustainability.
To support the numerous initiatives across the region and to encourage the exchange and development of joint projects, the Autonomous Province of Trento has established the Coordination Committee for UNESCO-recognised sites and elements.
World Heritage Dolomites
On 26 June 2009, in Seville, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee recognised the Dolomites as a World Heritage Site for their aesthetic and landscape value as well as for their scientific importance in terms of geology and geomorphology, recognising them as 'among the most beautiful mountain landscapes in the world'.
Publication date:Friday 04 April 2025
Prehistoric pile-dwelling sites in the Alps
Among almost a thousand pile-dwelling sites discovered in the Alps, 111 have been chosen to be a Unesco Site, and among them are the Trentino sites of Ledro and Fiavè. Exceptional conservation conditions have transformed the pile dwellings into enormous archives of data on our past.
Publication date:Friday 04 April 2025
Adamello Brenta - Geopark
An extraordinary territory where two geological worlds, the Brenta Dolomites and the Adamello-Presanella group, face each other and where every type of existing rock is represented: sedimentary, metamorphic and magmatic rocks. The Adamello Brenta Nature Park (620.51 square kilometres) is the largest protected area in Trentino.
Publication date:Friday 04 April 2025
Alpi Ledrensi and Judicaria Biosphere Reserve from the Dolomites to Lake Garda
The territory of the Ledrensi Alps and the Giudicarie esteriori, which stretches between two jewels of Trentino, Lake Garda and the Brenta Dolomites (more than 3100 m of altitude difference concentrated in less than 30 km as the crow flies, in an environment rich in biodiversity and history) was awarded UNESCO Biosphere status in 2015 Alpi Ledrensi e Judicaria
Publication date:Friday 04 April 2025
Chair Engineering for Human and Sustainable Development
In 2011, the UNESCO Chair in 'Engineering for Human and Sustainable Development' was established at the University of Trento.
Publication date:Friday 04 April 2025
Dry stone wall art
The art of dry stone walling, i.e. the knowledge and skill of building dry stone artefacts, common to eight European countries, was inscribed as a construction technique in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2018. This "art" consists in building by placing stones one on top of the other, without using any other materials except, in some cases, dry earth.
Publication date:Friday 04 April 2025
The Terrace of Stars, a 'UNESCO site connected to the sky'
The Terrace of Stars - at an altitude of about 1,500 metres on Monte Bondone (TN) - is a place that is well suited for observing the sky, thanks to its limited light pollution and clear, smog-free air. Here, every year since 2001, the Muse (Science Museum) with its local branch offers astronomical observation experiences to thousands of people who want to admire the sky and learn about its characteristics and secrets.
Publication date:Friday 04 April 2025
UNESCO World Network of Water Museums
Since 2023 the Autonomous Province of Trento has been an institutional partner of the "UNESCO Global Network of Water Museums" (acronym WAMU-NET). The network was born as a flagship initiative of the UNESCO Intergovernmental Hydrological Programme, has its own seat in Trentino and includes about 60 museums and institutions from 30 different countries.
Publication date:Friday 04 April 2025
Unesco Club of Trento
On 23 October 2012, the Italian Federation of Unesco Clubs based in Florence approved the Trento Unesco Club, the first Unesco Club in the Autonomous Province of Trento and the Trentino Alto Adige Region.
Publication date:Friday 04 April 2025
Highlights
Governance
Provincial Coordination of UNESCO Designations
There are many sites and features in Trentino that have been recognised by UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation. These range from the Dolomite massifs forming part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site ‘The Dolomites’ to a university chair included in the UNESCO Chairs Programme. The Provincial Executive has approved the establishment of a coordinating body to promote effective collaboration between the various departments of the Provincial Administration and greater synergy between the Province and the various bodies and institutions involved, in consultation with the relevant national and international institutions.
01/10/2024