Trentino-South Tyrol · Trento
Rovereto
The Vallagarina city where a Venetian-Austrian castle holds the Italian war museum and a Mario Botta dome holds Italy's largest contemporary art collection.
Known for
MART
Mario Botta's 2002 circular museum, the largest collection of modern and contemporary art in the Italian Alps, anchored by Fortunato Depero and the Italian Futurists.
BELL OF THE FALLEN
Eleven-tonne Maria Dolens on the Colle di Miravalle, cast from cannons of every nation that fought in the First World War, rung every evening for the dead of all sides.
CASTLE AND WAR MUSEUM
Castelbarco fortress expanded by Venice in 1416 and given to Habsburg Austria in 1509, now home to the Museo Storico Italiano della Guerra founded in 1921.
When to visit
Best · Apr–Oct
- J
- F
- M
- A
- M
- J
- J
- A
- S
- O
- N
- D
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
Why come
Rovereto sits in the Vallagarina, halfway between Trento and Verona on the Adige plain. The fourteenth-century Castello di Rovereto rises above the Leno torrent at the southern edge of the centre, built by the Castelbarco, expanded into a four-bastioned fortress by the Venetians from 1416, and handed to the Habsburgs in 1509 after the Venetian defeat at Agnadello. The castle now houses the Museo Storico Italiano della Guerra, founded in 1921 to document the First World War on the Italian-Austrian front that ran through these mountains.
On the hill of Miravalle above the city stands the Campana dei Caduti, named Maria Dolens, cast from the bronze of cannons from every nation that fought in the war and rung every evening since 1925 for the dead of all sides. The MART, the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art of Trento and Rovereto, opened in 2002 in a circular Mario Botta building with a glass-and-steel dome over the entrance plaza and holds works by Depero, who lived and worked in Rovereto, alongside Morandi, de Chirico, Casorati and Carrà.
The Sunday letter
We haven’t written Rovereto’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
Castello di Rovereto
Fourteenth-century Castelbarco fortress on the Leno torrent, expanded by the Venetians with four bastions in 1416 and handed to Habsburg Austria in 1509.
MART
Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art of Trento and Rovereto, opened in 2002 in a circular Mario Botta building, with a permanent collection including Depero, Morandi, de Chirico and Carrà.
Museo Storico Italiano della Guerra
Founded in 1921 inside the Castello, documents the First World War on the Italian-Austrian front through uniforms, trench artefacts, prints and personal testimonies.
Campana dei Caduti (Maria Dolens)
Eleven-tonne bell on the Colle di Miravalle, cast from cannon bronze of every nation that fought in the First World War, rung every evening since 1925.
Casa d'Arte Futurista Depero
Studio-museum of the Futurist painter Fortunato Depero, the only museum founded by a Futurist artist himself, with tapestries, paintings and graphic design.
Centro storico
Network of porticoed streets between Piazza Rosmini and the castle, with Venetian and Habsburg facades, the Borgo Sacco quarter and the old silk-trade palazzi.
The slow-trip planner
Building a trip? Find where Rovereto fits in a slow Italy circuit.
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Living here
- Population 39,809
- A local hubi
- Pharmacy in town
- High school within a 30-minute drive
- Train station in the comune
- Nearest airport Verona, 1 h 7 min drive
- Regional capital Trento, 31 min drive
Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources
Recognised as
The numbers
- Elevation: 204 m
- Population: 39,809
- Surface area: 50.99 km²
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.
Close by
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