Municipality in the province of Trento, famous for its historical production of fine wines, such as Marzemino, Volano is located along the left bank of the Adige river in the valley of alluvial origin that coasts the slopes of Monte Finonchio.
The discovery of three tombs in the district of Paludei, dating back to the Mesolithic Ages, attest that the area was inhabited since ancient times. Intensely inhabited during the Neolithic and the Bronze Ages, in the first centuries after Christ, it was colonized by the Romans, as evidenced by the remains of a building dating back to the III and IV centuries A.D. , brought to light during excavations in front of the Church of St. Rocco. Quoted by Paolo Diacono in 590 with the name of "Volaenes", already in the XIII century it was seat of a stable territorial organization based on the simultaneous juridical presence of the Church and an autonomous Community that still respected certain feudal laws (in this case the Church of St. Mary, the Free Community of Volano and the jurisdiction of Castel Beseno. Till 1439 the territory was under the control of the Castelbarco and subsequently passed to the Republic of Venice, until 1508, when it was defeated by Austrian troops. Except for the brief Napoleonic period, it was part of the Austrian Empire until the end of World War I, when the town was annexed to the Kingdom of Italy.
Sites of Interest:
- the Church of the Purification of Mary, with its present XVIII century decorative elements, was already documented since the XII century. Inside it is enriched by precious polychrome marble altars and XVIII century paintings by the artist Bartolomeo Zeni;
- the Church of San Rocco, built in the second half of the XV century, superbly frescoed;
- the Hermitage of Santa Cecilia, full of charm, which offers an unrivaled view of the valley, from Trento to Rovereto. It was constructed in 1611 and was built against the wall overlooking the cliff of Cengio Rosso;
- the numerous votive capitals;
- the palaces with elegant façades, portals and valuable remains of frescoes;
- the medieval Watchtower of the Des Tor, the last remaining of the ten (des) towers built to defend the area.