LEVICO TERME AND THE VALSUGANA

HEALTH AND WELL-BEING IN LEVICO TERME

Levico Terme, in the heart of the Valsugana in Trentino, is a rare example of a 19th century spa town remaining largely intact in its original state: gardens, colourful flower-lined avenues, period spa buildings and hotels. This elegant town with its Alpine-style houses and streets attracts many visitors summer and winter.

A walk through the streets of the town immediately evokes the atmosphere of the belle époque, when princesses and nobles from all over Europe met in the centre of the Valsugana to take respite from the pressures of court life. The tranquillity of a mountain town, its healing waters and the peaks they flow from, as well as the lake with its clear waters make Levico Terme a real oasis of peace and relaxation.

Levico offers health, spa well-being, outdoor sports and entertainments in the mountains or on Lake Levico, as well as walks in the hills among castles and nature reserves or in the old town centre to discover local crafts and Trentino cuisine.

There are many things to see in Levico: the Habsburg Spa Park, the unmissable Lake Levico, the Colle delle Benne with its fort, the little church of San Biagio with its 14th century frescoes, the ruins of Castel Selva, the Altopiano di Vezzena with the Busa Verle Fort and the Pizzo di Levico mountain, the spa resorts of Levico and Vetriolo and the Panarotta 2002 ski resort.

Facing Levico, gently sloping towards the Altopiano dei Sette Comuni and rising above the Valsugana is the vast Altopiano di Vezzena, the largest plateau in Trentino, a green expanse of meadows and pastures bordered by dense forests and dotted with typical malghe, old buildings for sheltering livestock grazing on the alpine meadows and also for making cheese. This is where the delicious Vezzena cheese comes from, one of Trentino’s oldest and most sought-after traditional cheeses, renowned for its characteristic flavour since the Hapsburg era, so much so that it always made an appearance on the Emperor Franz Joseph’s table.

During the First World War, the entire area, including the Altipiani di Folgaria, Lavarone & Luserna, was the scene of clashes and battles, evidenced by the many Austrian forts, part of a defensive line built by the Austro-Hungarians.

Levico and the entire Valsugana encompass a perfect blend of history, culture and landscape that never fails to delight.