What is Molveno known for?

Trentino's deepest lake, 124 metres, and the most decorated. Cinque Vele rated it Italy's most beautiful lake for ten consecutive years. The pale limestone group of Cima Tosa, Campanile Basso and Crozzon di Brenta rising straight from the western shore, inside the Adamello-Brenta park. Touring Club Italiano recognition for the management of the lake, the historic centre and the relationship between village and surrounding park.

When is the best time to visit Molveno?

Apr–Oct. April through October is the running season for the lake. The water stays cold but is swimmable from late June through August; the perimeter path is 11 kilometres of mostly flat shoreline. July and August bring Italian-family crowds and full hotels around the small village core. May, June, September and the first half of October are the quietest of the warm months, with cooler air, hiking weather on the Pradel plateau and the rifugi of the Brenta group still open. November through March is mostly closed. The lake level drops in autumn as the hydroelectric system draws water; the village empties.

Molveno is a comune in the province of Trento, Trentino-South Tyrol region of Italy, about 44 kilometers from Trento.

How do I get to Molveno?

From Trento, Molveno is roughly 44 km by road.

Trentino-South Tyrol · Trento

Molveno

The village at the north end of a deep blue alpine lake, with the Brenta Dolomites rising straight out of the water.

Known for

LAGO DI MOLVENO
Trentino's deepest lake, 124 metres, and the most decorated. Cinque Vele rated it Italy's most beautiful lake for ten consecutive years.
BRENTA DOLOMITES
The pale limestone group of Cima Tosa, Campanile Basso and Crozzon di Brenta rising straight from the western shore, inside the Adamello-Brenta park.
BANDIERA ARANCIONE
Touring Club Italiano recognition for the management of the lake, the historic centre and the relationship between village and surrounding park.

When to visit

Best · Apr–Oct

Best
Hot or crowded
Quiet
Mostly closed

The festa: Carlo Borromeo, 4 November

Why come

Molveno sits at 864 metres on the northern shore of Lago di Molveno, a four-kilometre lake formed by a landslide about 4,000 years ago and held in by the Brenta Dolomites on one side and Monte Paganella on the other. It is the deepest lake in Trentino, 124 metres at maximum, and second-largest in the region by surface. The Touring Club Italiano awarded Molveno the Bandiera Arancione for the management of its lake and historic centre, and the Guida Blu Cinque Vele rating has named it Italy's most beautiful lake for ten consecutive years.

The Adamello-Brenta Nature Park begins at the western shore, with the rifugi and via ferrate of the Brenta group reachable from the village. The Gothic Chiesa di San Vigilio, inside the cemetery wall above the centre, dates to the 13th century.

The Sunday letter

We haven’t written Molveno’s letter yet.

One town every Sunday, with the photo, the food, the festa. Be there when this one comes up. Free, by Peter & Sophia from Pietrasanta.

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What to see

Lago di Molveno
Four-kilometre alpine lake at 864 metres, formed by a landslide around 4,000 years ago, 124 metres deep, ringed by the Brenta Dolomites and Monte Paganella.
Chiesa di San Vigilio
Gothic 13th-century church inside the village cemetery above the historic centre, with stone walls and a separate bell tower.
Parco Naturale Adamello-Brenta
Largest protected area in Trentino, beginning at Molveno's western shore, with the Brenta Dolomites, brown bears, glaciers and a network of rifugi.
Pradel altopiano
Plateau above the village reached by cable car, with hiking trails, a wildlife area and views across the lake toward the Brenta group.

The slow-trip planner

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Plan your trip

Living here

Population 1,108
Off the beaten pathi
Pharmacy in town
Nearest airport Verona, 2 h 20 min drive
Regional capital Trento, 1 h 11 min drive

Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources

Recognised as

The numbers

Elevation: 864 m
Population: 1,108
Surface area: 34.12 km²

On the map

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These figures were compiled from public directories — ISTAT, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata — and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.

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