Doss

Surrounded by the majestic peaks of the Alpes and nestled at the cusp of the Adige valley, Trento offers plenty of opportunities for exploring all the different ways in which nature and man combine to shape the landscape and make it even more  interesting. Dotted all around the city you will find a great number of intriguing nooks and crannies, reachable via wonderful walks and excursions!

One of the closest and most easily accessible such places is the  Doss, a  low and almost perfectly round hill overlooking the city on the west side of the river.

The Walk

Within short walking distance of the city center, on the river banks close to the back of the Literature Faculty building lies the S. Lorenzo bridge, which crosses from the bulk of the city to the quaint ancient neighborhood of Piedicastello. Rising immediately over the last rows of houses is the Doss Hill, so named  from the local dialect word doss, meaning "mound" or "small hill". To reach it you can take two roads:

• ·         By car: follow via Brescia on your way out of the Piedicastello neighborhood, direction opposite the city; turn  upwards and to the right in Via Dòs,  until Piazza degli Alpini where, unless you have a special permit, you will have to park the car and proceed on foot to the top of the hill (another ten minutes or so);
• ·         On foot (highly recommended!!!): at the very beginning of Via Brescia, on the right handside, from under a stone archway departs the paved walkway called via dell'Acropoli (despite the conspicuous absence of greek temples on the hill). This path winds gently up the hill through the colorful vegetation for 15 to 25 minutesdepending on your pace, and offers several spectacular points of view on the underlying city - as well as the final satisfaction of having climbed the hill on your own two legs!!

  The hill is wonderful especially in late spring/early summer, when it is not at all uncommon to meet groups of students traipsing around, decompressing after exams with a walk in the sun or a picnic in one of the many green meadows (if you choose to adopt this tradition, be sure to take appropriate amounts of water with you, as there are no sources in loco!!!).

   

  Top of the Hill: the Mausoleum

   Once you make it to the end of the walk, though,  there is more than satisfaction waiting for you. There, peeking between leaves, is a solemn, sober circle of white columns: it is the Mausoleum dedicated by the city to Cesare Battisti. Born in Trento in the second half of the 19th century, he opposed the Asburgic Empire's occupation as a student highly involved in the political landscape and a fervent irredentista (he aspired to a territorially united Italy, of which he believed Trento to be an essential part). Eventually during WWI he fled the city to fight with the Italian troops, and was later executed by the Austrian army in the city's main square Piazza del Duomo as a traitor. The Mausoleum was built in  1935 as a tomb and more generally a memorial of his role in the final unification of the Italian territory; in the circular gallery that runs below it his life is documented and honored.  The mausoleum's decoration is minimalist and almost understated, yet still manages to create an environment of reflection and quiet remembrance.

  Nowadays it is not so frequented, and the historical relevance mingles with the quiet and isolation of the location, surrounded by nature and high over the city, to make it a perfect place for contemplation, as the mausoleum continues to watch over Battisti's beloved Trento from it's high perch.