Getting to Trento |
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| By train | Timetables | We recommend you to check the Web site of the German Railways for all your train travel within Europe. Check also Italian Railways. |
| Stamp or be fined! | Train tickets in Italy are valid two months from the date of purchase. Be warned, however, that just before starting your trip you have to stamp your tickets (including supplements and reservations) at any of the yellow machines that are ubiquitous at train stations. Conductors have usually mercy of unsuspecting foregneirs with unstamped tickets, but don't try your luck: failure to stamp your tickets may result in a heavish fine. | |
| To Trento | Trento lies on a major railway line from Germany (Munich) to Italy through Austria. From Verona (an hour ride from Trento) you get connections to the west (Milano, France) and to the east (Venezia) | |
| By air | via Verona | The most convenient airport is the one at Verona. Verona airport is a good co-hub, with connections to most major European airports. From the airport, take the bus to the train station (Verona Porta Nuova). From there it is a one-hour ride to get to Trento. Check the itinerary on the Web site of the German Railways: from Verona to Trento. |
| via Milano Malpensa |
Especially if you come from overseas, most likely
your travel agent will suggest you to fly to the new Milano Malpensa
airport (Terminal 1). By all means try and get a (cheap)
connecting flight from Milano Malpensa to Verona.
If this is not possible, you are in for a not particularly simple trip to get to Trento. From Malpensa there is a bus connection to Milano Centrale, the main station. Alternatively, there is also a train connection called Malpensa Express, but this will only get you to Milano Cadorna, a secondary station. From there you have to take the underground to Centrale. From Centrale there are relatively frequent trains to Trento, but in most cases you will need to change in Verona. Check the itinerary on the Web site of the German Railways: from Milano Centrale to Trento. |
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| via Venezia |
Your travel agent may also suggest you to fly to Venezia. This is not
a bad idea, especially if you want to take this chance to spend a few
hours or even a day or two there.
Once you are satisfied with the city, there are relatively frequent train connections from Venezia Santa Lucia (the train station on the Laguna) and Venezia Mestre (the train station on the mainland) to Trento. The simplest route (check the itinerary on the Web site of the German Railways) is from Venezia Santa Lucia to Trento via Verona. An alternate route goes from Venezia Santa Lucia to Trento via Bassano: it is usually slower, and the carriages are older, but the last part is quite scenic, and you may want to take it if you have time to spare. |
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| By car | In Italy |
The Autostrada del
Brennero motorway (sometimes called simply
Autobrennero) goes through Trento. Exit at Trento
Centro. The Autobrennero connects to the south to the
Italian motorway network, and to the north with the Austrian and
German network.
There is a toll to pay on Italian motorways. Get the ticket when entering the motorway, and present it at the tolling station when exiting. Major credit cards are accepted for payment. |
| In Austria | To use Austrian motorways you need to buy a special sticker, typically at the border (various durations available). A further toll is due when going over the Europabrücke (Europe bridge), just before the Italian border. | |
Local Information |
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| Tourist Information | Trento & Trentino | Some local information, in Italian and English |
| Azienda per la Promozione Turistica del Trentino | The official Tourist Information site of the Province, in Italian, English and German | |
| Azienda di Promozione Turistica di Trento | The official Tourist Information site of the town of Trento, in Italian, English and German | |
| Weather | Weather in town | At the end of July the weather in Trento is usually hot and humid. Late afternoon storms can cool it down quite a bit, though, so having a sweater handy in the evening may be a good idea. |
| Weather in the mountains |
If you want to venture into the mountains (some are within easy reach
from Trento) please keep in mind that temperature drops quickly with
height, and that mountain weather is unpredictable.
Even if you are going for a harmless-looking walk on a sunny and clear afternoon, be sure you use good walking shoes, and carry some warm clothing (a fleece jacket is ideal) and a weatherproof item. |
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| Weather sites | A good source for local weather forecasts is Meteo Trentino, a service of the Provincia Autonoma di Trento | |
| Getting to the Department of Mathematics | Location | The Department of Mathematics (Faculty of Science) is located in Povo, a suburb on the hills east of Trento |
| By bus |
Take bus number 5 from town - it's a 15 to 20 minutes ride. At the
moment we write this, the cost of a bus ticket is 0.90EUR. Buy
tickets in advance at any newsstand, and stamp one on
boarding the bus. Bus number 5 leaves the station (see map) at 09, 29 and 49
every hour. Convenient stops in town are opposite Chiesa di Santa Maria
Maggiore, at Piazza Fiera
(City walls) and at Largo Porta Nuova (usually referred to as
part of the adjacent Piazza Venezia: there's a fountain with
horses in the middle of it).
The bus ascends the hills east of Trento. At a roundabout, it turns right, crossing a gorge over a new bridge, and stops at the gate of the Faculty of Engineering (Facoltà di Ingegneria). Do not get off here! You are aiming at the third stop from here, but the two intermediate stops are often skipped because of lack of interested passengers. After a couple of wide switchbacks, and a black-on-white POVO sign, the bus gets to a roundabout, turns right and stops. You want to get off here. Before proceeding, please notice the bus stop opposite. It's here you want to take the bus back to town - it departs at 04, 24 and 44 every hour. Get back to the roundabout, cross it walking in the same direction and you get to the Faculty of Science in no time. When riding back to town, you may get off at the station, but it is probably better to get off at the first or second stop in town: both are at the border of the town centre, on the two sides of Castello del Buonconsiglio (see the map). |
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| On foot |
There is a nice, steepish footpath leading from town to the Department
and back. It is marked Ponte Cornicchio - Oltrecastello;
fingerposts are scarce. From Trento to Povo it's a gain of
about 250m: walking leisurely it takes about 45 minutes each way.
Please check the map. Here's a description in words anyway. To get to the trailhead from town, get to Largo Porta Nuova/Piazza Venezia (fountain with horses), and follow via Grazioli up to the very end (stay on the left sidewalk). Take Salita Filippo Manci, and you will see the first fingerpost. It is probably advisable to do it downhill the first time. From the gate of the Faculty turn right, and then immediately left at the very first crossroads. Continue downhill from there. After you cross a railway line (this is the line to Venice), veer right; soon afterwards, when you get to the Faculty of Engineering (Facoltà di Ingegneria), the trail continues on the right of the entrance gate. |
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| By car | We recommend that you do not drive from Trento to Povo, but take bus number 5 instead. If you want to drive to Povo, arm yourself with a map, and try and find your way among the one-way streets and the no-left-turn signs. Good luck! | |
| Making a telephone call | From your hotel |
Hotels are forbidden to surcharge for telephone calls. This is taken
seriously by Telecom
Italia, which has gone as far as cutting the phone lines of
offenders.
Keep in mind, though, that phone calls with Telecom Italia are rather expensive, compared to other countries or also to other Italian phone operators. |
| From public telephones | Arm yourself with a prepaid Telecom telephone card, to be bought at newsstands. Before using a card for the very first time, you have to tear off the designated corner: this is to prevent anybody from tampering with the card before you buy it. | |
| Of phones and numbers |
All landline phone numbers in Italy start with a 0.
When you make a telephone call within Italy, you have to dial the full
telephone number, including the area code, even if you are making a
local call. So for instance the office phone number of the local
organizer is 0461 881618, no matter whether you are ringing
it up from Trento or Napoli. When ringing it up from abroad, you
should not drop the leading 0, as common in
other countries. That is, you have to dial +39 0461
881618. Here + stands as usual for the international
access code for the country you are calling from.
Mobile phone numbers in Italy are those phone numbers starting with a 3. For instance, a typical mobile phone number would be 348 xxxxxxx - when ringing it up from abroad you have to dial +39 348 xxxxxxx | |
| Calling home | The international access code from Italy is 00. For instance, to ring up the Mathematisches Forschungsinstitut Oberwolfach from Italy you have to dial 0049 7834 97950. | |