
Trentino-South Tyrol · Trento
Tenno
A hillside communeabove Lake Garda, with a medieval stone hamlet, a turquoise lake, and the northernmost olive groves in Europe.
44 km / 27 mi
Nearest hub (Trento)
2,002
Population
Apr–Oct
Best time to visit
Why come
Tenno sitson the slope above Riva del Garda, on the old road that climbed from the Sarca valley toward the Giudicarie. The territory wraps the upper end of Lake Garda, with vineyards and olive groves running up the south-facing slopes; the Garda Trentino olive area, including Tenno, is the world's northernmost zone of traditional olive oil production at forty-six degrees north. Two settlements anchor the commune. The Castello di Tenno, built at the end of the twelfth century on the ruins of a prehistoric fortification, stands on a rocky outcrop with a panoramic view down to Lake Garda. A few kilometres north, the medieval hamlet of Canale di Tenno is in the Borghi più belli d'Italia network, fifty residents, four streets converging on a small square, stone houses tied together by arches above the road. First documented in 1211. Every August the hamlet stages Rustico Medioevo, two weeks of medieval reenactment, concerts and craft workshops in the same streets.
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Known for
Canale di Tenno
Medieval stone hamlet in the Borghi più belli network, fifty residents, four streets converging on a square, with arched passages tying the houses together.
Castello di Tenno
Twelfth-century fortress on a rocky outcrop above the Sarca valley, built on the remains of a prehistoric site, controlling the road from Garda to the Giudicarie.
Lago di Tenno
Local nature reserve at 570 metres, a turquoise alpine lake with a small island in the centre, half an hour on foot from Canale di Tenno.
Rustico Medioevo
Two-week medieval festival in Canale di Tenno every August, with concerts, theatre, craft demonstrations and meals served in the stone houses.
Olive groves of Garda Trentino
Among the world's northernmost traditional olive growing zones, with terraced groves running up the south-facing slopes toward Tenno and Ville del Monte.
When to visit
Best months · Apr–Oct
- J
- F
- M
- A
- M
- J
- J
- A
- S
- O
- N
- D
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
April through June brings the olive groves into leaf, the meadows above Ville del Monte in flower and Lake Tenno at its clearest. September and October are dry and gold, with the olive harvest beginning in the second half of October on the terraces above the lake. July and August are the busiest months, when Lake Tenno fills with swimmers from Riva and the August Rustico Medioevo festival draws visitors to Canale di Tenno. The valley floor at Riva can hit thirty-five degrees in July; Tenno at 428 metres stays a few degrees cooler. November through March is quiet. Many restaurants in Canale di Tenno close for the winter. The castle stays visible against the snow on Monte Misone.
How to get there
From Trento, Tenno is roughly 44 km by road. Allow about 38–53 minutes depending on traffic and route choice (autostrada vs scenic).
Drive time to the nearest gateway airports
- Verona1h 31m
- Milan2h 9m
- Bologna2h 36m
Elevation 428 m
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Close by
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🎨 Borghi più belli d'Italia
Other Borghi più belli d'Italia towns in Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol

Bleggio Superiore
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Bondone
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A two-village commune above Lake Idro at the Lombard border, with a Lodron castle on the cliff and a Bandiera Blu shoreline below.

Borgo Valsugana
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Caldes
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A scattered Val di Sole commune on the Noce, six hamlets gathered around a thirteenth-century tower-house castle that once belonged to the Thun family.

Kastelruth
Province: Bolzano
South Tyrolean gateway to the Alpe di Siusi at 1,060 metres, eighty-two-metre bell tower over the square, home of the Kastelruther Spatzen.
