"Precious pearl in a wonderful treasure box", are the words entitled to this town by the writer Fogazzaro, who loved to spend his vacations here. Molveno is a renowned tourist resort in the province of Trento, located on the shores of Lake Biel, at the foot of the Brenta Dolomites and the Paganella Massif, the east end of the Adamello-Brenta Nature Park. Surrounded by beautiful forests of firs and beeches, the town features modern sports facilities and a cable car that reaches the Pradel plateau from where several trails depart.
Despite the development linked to the tourism industry, Molveno jealously preserves its origins as a mountain village, and features the typical stone houses, the historic core and its ancient traditions.
The Lake Molveno, post-glacial origin, covers an area of about 3.3 square kilometers, with clear waters which are reflected the peaks of the Brenta, to the west, and Paganella in the east.
The discovery of artifacts from the Bronze Age shows the presence of man on the banks of this lake since ancient times. Due to its strategic position in the Middle Ages was the subject of bitter disputes between the Bishops of Trent, the counts of Tyrol and the accounts of Flavon. To halt the advance of Napoleon's troops, between 1802 and 1805 the Austrian Empire erected the fortifications still visible on the promontory of Monte Horn, along the western shore of the lake, and commonly known as "Forts of Napoleon."
Sites of Interest:
- the Church of St. Vigil, dating from the thirteenth century, is among the Cultural Heritage of the Autonomous Province of Trento. Outside has a fine Romanesque portal with lunette frescoes while the interior is characterized by the unusual presence of a primitive Romanesque and later Gothic style. Wonderful frescoes on the walls and the altar.
- the Church of St. Borromeo, built in 1940 to replace the existing Gothic and of which remain only the altars and the Bell Tower;
- the capitals and votive religious frescoes on the walls of private homes, the most popular forms of faith in the area;
- the Venetian sawmill dating from the XVI century, that work thanks to the running water;
- the so-named Forts of Napoleon, built between 1802 and 18058 in defense of the pass that leads to the Val di Non