Ala
Ala is a small town in the Vallagarina, in Trentino, set along the course of the Adige river south of Rovereto, close to the borde...
Updated 17 July 2026
This season · July · Summer
What to do in Ala now
The story
The story of Ala
Ala, the town of the Vallagarina along the Adige
Ala lies in the Vallagarina, the wide valley carved by the Adige river that connects Trento to Verona, in a strategic position just a few kilometres south of Rovereto. The municipal territory stretches from the valley floor, where the Adige flows, up to the first mountain foothills, offering a varied landscape ranging from terraced vineyards to high-altitude woods. This location along a historic communication route made Ala, since the Middle Ages, an important transit point for goods and people heading toward Northern Europe or the Po Valley plain. The proximity to the border with Veneto also encouraged trade and cultural exchanges that enriched the town's identity over the centuries, making it a natural crossroads between the Trentino-Tyrolean world and the Venetian one, still perceptible today in its architecture and local traditions.
Ala, the 'city of velvet': the history of silk
The nickname "city of velvet" has its roots in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, when Ala saw the flourishing of a silk manufacturing industry of exceptional quality, able to compete with the great textile centres of Italy and Europe. Spinning mills, looms and artisan workshops processed fine silk and velvet destined for courts and markets across half of Europe, bringing wealth and prestige to this small Trentino town. This textile vocation was not an isolated episode, but the engine of economic and social growth that allowed merchant families to amass considerable fortunes, later invested in building stately homes. The memory of that productive season is preserved today in the town's very name and celebrated each year by the "Ala Città di Velluto" event, which recreates the costumes, crafts and atmosphere of Ala's golden age of silk.
Baroque palaces and the historic centre
Ala's historic centre is a true open-air museum of Trentino baroque architecture. Along the main streets and cobbled alleys stand stately palaces built by merchant families enriched by the silk trade, recognisable by their decorated façades, carved stone portals, wrought-iron balconies and interiors adorned with frescoes and stuccowork. These buildings, restrained in proportion yet refined in detail, bear witness to the taste and ambition of a merchant class that wanted to leave a lasting mark on the town's urban fabric. Strolling among these buildings, often less crowded than other Trentino destinations, gives the feeling of discovering an authentic heritage not yet fully showcased, where every courtyard and entrance hall conceals baroque details worth admiring at a leisurely pace.
The Grand Tour and culture in Ala
Thanks to its position along the route linking central Europe to Italy, Ala became a valued stop on the Grand Tour, the cultural and formative journey that, between the seventeenth and nineteenth centuries, led European aristocrats, artists and intellectuals across the peninsula in search of its cities of art. Passing through Ala, travellers could admire the elegance of its baroque palaces and breathe the refined atmosphere of a town that, though small, had nothing to envy from far more celebrated cities. This tradition of cultured hospitality left a cultural imprint still perceptible today, among historic libraries, family archives and an artistic heritage spread throughout public and private buildings, which recount Ala's role as a crossroads of people, ideas and goods travelling between Northern and Southern Europe.
Between the Lessini and Monte Baldo: mountains, vineyards and hiking
Behind the historic centre, Ala's territory rises quickly toward the Lessini mountains and the Trentino side of Monte Baldo, offering a striking contrast with the town's urban elegance. The Val di Ronchi, carved into the mountainside, is the starting point for a dense network of trails crossing broadleaf woods, alpine pastures and panoramic clearings, suitable for both easy walks and more demanding hikes toward higher elevations. The lower slopes, sun-exposed and well-drained, have been cultivated with vineyards and orchards for centuries, forming an orderly agricultural landscape that yields quality wine and fruit. This mosaic of mountains, cultivated land and historic centre allows visitors to experience Ala on multiple levels, combining a cultural visit to the baroque palaces with a walk in the surrounding nature within the same day.
Not to be missed
- The baroque palaces of Ala's historic centre, testimony to the "city of velvet"
- The "Ala Città di Velluto" event, recalling the town's silk-making history
- A stroll through the cobbled alleys of the old town, once a Grand Tour stop
- A hike in the Val di Ronchi toward the Lessini mountains and Monte Baldo
- The vineyards and orchards on the hillsides surrounding Ala
To see
What to see in Ala
Routes · Trovido Route
Routes in Ala
Jobs · JobFlow
