A road trip along the imperial road across the Alps (Padana version)

The Via Claudia Augusta starts in the town of Donauwörth. This has two reasons: the Danube, which allowed the Romans to transport heavy goods, and the northern border of the Roman Empire, which was located here before and after the first retreat of the Roman Empire from the Germanic tribes. The northernmost part of the Roman road runs through the modern district of Donau-Ries, which nearly reaches the Limes in the north. Apart from the Danube, the area is characterized by the Ries crater. It has a diameter of 25 kilometers and was created by a meteorite 14.5 million years ago. The name ‘Ries’ is said to be derived from the Roman province of Rhaetia. Donauwörth, the town where the Roman road ends, did not exist during Roman times. Instead, the area was frequently flooded by five rivers whose confluence lies in the Donauwörth region: the Danube, Wörnitz, Zusam, Schmutter and  Lech. The town began as a  fishermen’s settlement on the island of Ried in the Wörnitz river. Today, most of the old town is located to the north of the river. It offers one of Germany’s most beautiful streets, the Reichsstraße.

In Roman times, there were already settlements in the estuary region of the rivers Wörnitz, Schmutter and Lech and in the part of the Lechtal valley bordering Augsburg. The inconspicuous little hill between Mertingen and Druisheim was the site of Submuntorium-Burghöfe, a Roman fortress complex. Another military site is said to have stood in Langweid am Lech. The towns up to Drusheim are still part of the district of Donau-Ries. Beyond Drusheim, the district of Augsburg begins. Its largest towns are Meitingen, which gained market privileges in 1989, and Gersthofen, which became a town in 1969. The Roman road follows the Lech towards Augsburg. In some parts, it is still a road. In others, it is a dam on the ground. Most of it is covered by the national road number 2 today. The Roman road runs past the floodplains of the Lech river, which separates the district of Augsburg from the Wittelsbacher Land.

After the Alpine Campaign in 15 B. C., Emperor Augustus’ adoptive sons, Drusus and Tiberius, established a military camp in Oberhausen, a northern district. The camp was the foundation of Augusta Vindelicum, the later capital of the province of Rhaetia. Augsburg is probably Germany’s second oldest city. It was most certainly one of the largest Roman towns north of the Alps. Spanning more than 25 ha, the settlement had up to 15,000 inhabitants in its heyday and offered them everything they would have expected from a Roman provincial capital: a temple, market hall, governor’s palace, theater, spas ... All townhouses had running water. The Via Claudia Augusta passed the town to the west. In the central area between the town hall and the Mercury fountain, it is identical to the historical main road through the old town. Augsburg rose to even greater significance in the late Middle Ages and the beginning of the modern era, when the rich Fugger family established their global business empire from here. Later, the prince-bishops of Augsburg reigned over a vast expanse of land that stretched all the way to Tyrol.

The Lechfeld is a strikingly flat gravel plain that gained tragic fame after the Battle of Lechfeld against Hungary in 955. There were already settlements here in Roman times. Historians believe that the Roman road station Ad Novas, marked on the ancient road map Tabula Peutingeriana, was located in Igling. Another fortress from the Late Roman Empire is believed to have stood in Untermeitingen. In the south, Augsburg borders the relatively new town of Königsbrunn, where you can visit a Temple of Mithras. Recent settlement of the area only occurred in the early 19th century. Like the towns up to Obermeitingen, Königsbrunn is part of the district of Augsburg. It borders the district of Landsberg am Lech to the south. From the Lechfeld, you can clearly see long sections of the Roman road, which runs steadily towards the Alps. The hiking route takes you through picturesque towns along the old country road. Graben is the home town of Hans Fugger.

The important salt road from Reichenhall to Munich crossed the Via Claudia Augusta here on its way to Switzerland. Duke Henry the Lion moved it a little way to the south from Kaufering in 1158. During that project, he had a bridge built and expanded the existing castle to protect it. The new complex was called the Castrum Landespurch. Nestled between the Lech and its high banks and overlooked by the castle, a settlement sprang up and grew rapidly. It would become the town of Landsberg in the 13th century. Today, the town to the west of the Lech is considerably larger, and its modern urban area dates back to the 19th century. The Via Claudia Augusta crossed some of the municipality westwards. Just like the river, it played an important role in the economic development of the town. The medieval old town is only accessible via the bridge over the Lech or its gates. It still retains some of its repeatedly expanded medieval walls. A recently redesigned main square is the town’s greatest attraction.

Between Landsberg and Schongau, the route leads crosses the Fuchstal valley to Epfach, the Roman Abodiacum before following the high banks of the Lech to Kinsau, Hohenfurch and Altenstadt, the mother parish of Schongau. Fuchstal is the valley of the Wiesbach river, a tributary of the Lech. It sits between the high banks of the Lech and a forested ridge to the west, next to the towns of Unterdießen, Asch, Leeder and Denklingen. ‘Fuchs’ is German for ‘fox’: the valley is said to be named for the brown color of its fields in fall. Just before Hohenfurch in the district of Weilheim-Schongau, you will climb the first hills since Donau-Ries. The villages in this section are particularly pretty and traditional. History enthusiasts will doubtlessly enjoy a visit to the site of the former Roman fortress of Abodiacum on the Lorenzberg, situated on a peninsula in the riverbend near Epfach.

During Roman times, another Roman road crossed the Alps via Garmisch and the Brennerpass. It was also called the Via Claudia, but it was not yet ‘Augusta’ (=imperial). In the Middle Ages, the roads that remained in use were dubbed the Upper Road and Lower Road. Their crossroads was an excellent spot to do business during Roman times and beyond. In Peiting to the east of the Lech, a Villa Rustica documents the outstanding domestic culture of the Romans. The town of Schongau, which was moved to the safer hill from its mother parish of Altenstadt in the 13th century, also flourished thanks to the nearby traffic hub. In 1331, the town was even granted the right to mint and issue its own coins. The old town has retained its entire town walls and can only be accessed through its gates. A large number of religious buildings also bear testimony to wealth of this region, which is called Pfaffenwinkel. Schongau and Peiting are considered its gateway. Wieskirche Pilgrimage Church is its best-known sacred building and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The municipalities in the Alpine foothills around the Auerberg initiated the initiative to revive the entire length of the Via Claudia Augusta. In this region, the Auerbergland, there are particularly many visible sections of the old Roman road. Its inhabitants have come up with many interesting ways of drawing attention to this important part of their heritage. There are quite a few historical highlights here: the site of millennia-old settlements around the Auerberg, the rafters’ village of Lechbruck am See, the Bavarian Via Claudia Augusta info center, and the Forggensee boat tour that follows the Roman road are well worth your time. Verdant hills and forests punctuated by lakes and set against a spectacular Alpine backdrop make the region a nature lover’s paradise. Its pretty holiday destinations have retained their authentic village atmosphere. The Roman road mostly followed the Lech through the Auerbergland. Some parts crossed the river in the area where it was dammed to create the Forggensee lake.

The beautiful stretch of land where the Lech exits the Alps has been inhabited since Roman times.  A Roman fortress used to stand on the Füssen’s castle hill. The Via Claudia Augusta passed beneath it. The Reichenstraße, the modern promenade in the old town, corresponds exactly to the route of the Roman road. At the valley station of the Tegelberg Cable Car, remnants of a private spa from a Villa Rustica grant us a glimpse into upper-class domestic life during the Roman Empire. The foundation of medieval Füssen and its long violin-making tradition date back to Saint Magnus of Füssen, who settled here as a religious hermit in the 8th century. In the 9th century, a Benedictine monastery was founded on the spot where his cell used to stand and named after him: St. Mang’s Abbey. Later, the people of Wittelsbach and Ludwig II of Bavaria discovered the spectacular natural landscape of the Alpine foothills, and the latter decided to build his fairytale castles here. You are standing in Schwangau, where guests of the Königliche Kristall-Therme spa get to unwind and let themselves be pampered just like the Romans used to do.

The first mountain ridges at the border between Germany and Austria form a gate, which the Via Claudia Augusta crossed into the Alps and the Reutte nature reserve region in Tyrol. This is where the only untouched section of the Lech in the northern Alps begins. The realm of the ‘last wild one’, as the nature park exhibition dubs the river, is dominated by extensive gravel banks and wetlands that cover the entire valley in some sections. Since time immemorial, the river has determined where settlements and roads could be built. Large parts of the valley have always been prone to flooding, so the Roman route of the Via Claudia Augusta crossed two plateaus between Füssen and the valley basin of Reutte: the mountain ridge between the Stiglberg and Kratzer and the Kniepass.

In the valley basin of Reutte, the Via Claudia Augusta led through Breitenwang towards Ehrenberg. It is believed that the town had a Roman road station just before the ascent. Around 1464, when the salt road from Hall in Tirol to the region around Lake Constance was relatively new, the Roman road was moved to Reutte, and the market town developed into a regional center. Many Roman buildings have survived to this day. Characteristic architectural artworks adorn the facades of the houses in Reutte; many of them were painted by the Zeiler family of artists. The fortress complex of Ehrenberg is located to the south of Reutte. Its four towering fortresses used to constitute a barrage against Bavaria. The complex even had outer baileys between Pflach and Pinswang/Musau, where the border used to be. Vils was a walled Bavarian town.

From Heiterwang onwards, the landscape becomes more alpine. You can easily tell that it is covered in snow for longer stretches of the spring. This may be a blessing for holidaymakers, but it has always brought hard work and meager harvests to the farmers of the region. The area between the two gates of Ehrenberg and Fernstein is called ‘Zwischentoren’ (literally: between gates). Its people have depended on the road for a long time. Many operated small farms to grow their own food while also offering haulage and other services to passersby to make a living. The slopes of the mountains were mowed up to the peaks in order to feed the local animals and those of travelers. Between Heiterwang and Bichlbach , you can still see these slopes today. When the road over the Arlberg Pass and, later, the Arlberg railway were built, the road suddenly lost its status as an important thoroughfare, plunging the people of the road into bitter poverty. Many were forced to leave their home region to seek manual work elsewhere. The children who left the Alps for Swabia came to be known as ‘Swabian children’.

Once you enter Lermoos, you will know exactly why the region is called the Tyrolean Zugspitz Arena. The picturesque Moos wetland, which used to carry the Via Claudia Augusta on thousands of logs, is the ring of the arena. The quirky holiday destinations of Ehrwald, Lermoos and Biberwier sit on the box seats surrounding it. The spectacular mountains surrounding Lermoos are the stands. Among them towers the Zugspitze, Germany’s highest mountain. Since 1926, the Tyrolean Zugspitze Cable Car has transported passengers from Ehrwald to the summit. After the old road paled into insignificance, the construction of the cable car became a symbol of a new, brighter economic future for Zwischentoren in the tourism industry.

The Fernpass is the site of a landslide which blocked passage through the area about 4000 years ago. Nature arduously reclaimed the landscape over time. Even today, the topsoil is still thin, and the vegetation reflects that: despite the relatively low altitude of the pass (1216 meters today, 1260 in Roman times), you will spot high-alpine plants here. Paths and roads from the pre-Roman and Roman era, the early modern period, the 19th century and today criss-cross the fascinating landscape. Plans for a tunnel are being discussed. The Roman Via Claudia Augusta ran from Biberwier to the old top of the Fernpass in a straight line. Its route is mostly identical with that of the power line in this area. From the highest point of the pass, the road steadily descended down  the slope to the Samerangersee lake. In the late Middle Ages, the Fernpass road was rerouted to cross  the top of the Fernpass we know today.

The Gurgltal valley is an idyllic landscape that is popular with local and foreign leisure-seekers alike. Humans settled in the picturesque valley at a very early stage. Historians believe that the shrine in the village of Dollinger-Lager on the northern slopes between Nassereith and Tarrenz was in use between the Hallstatt period and the Roman age. From Fernstein, the Roman road ran to the parish church of Nassereith in a straight line before nestling into the southern side of the valley, avoiding the sunny side, which was prone to rockfall. It only crossed the valley between Strad and Tarrenz and continued towards Imst along the sunny slopes. Nassereith was already a traffic hub in prehistorical times and during the Roman Empire: this is where the roads through the Gurgltal valley and across the Mieminger Plateau met. Archaeologists have proven that a Roman settlement existed in Dormitz, a little way away from the Roman Via Claudia Augusta. Roman roadside guesthouse in the Strader Wald forest It is also believed that a Roman road station stood in the Dormitz area. The section between the Fernpass and Imst used to be one of Tyrol’s most important mining areas. Visit the Knappenwelt Gurgltal, an authentically reconstructed mining village in Tarrenz, to learn more about this aspect of the history of this region. The locals predominantly mined galena, which they used to produce silver from the ores found in Schwaz, and zinc. Imst, the district capital, was also the seat of the mining court, whose jurisdiction covered a large area stretching to the Ausserfern, Reschenpass and Vorarlberg. The Via Claudia Augusta was also used as a transportation route for the mining sector. And the three towns of the Gurgltal valley – Nassereith, Tarrenz and Imst – share another important tradition: the Carnival.

Records from the 7th century mention an ‘Oppidum Humiste’. This almost certainly refers to Imst, which also used to be a road station on the Via Claudia Augusta. The term ‘Oppidum’ even suggests a fortified settlement from pre-Roman times. It is likely that the district capital was inhabited permanently from Rhaetian times through the Roman Empire until the 7th century. The Laurentiuskirche church on the striking Bergl hill above the town center dates back to the 5th century A. D. and shows that the settlement was already quite large back then. It was probably the largest settlement between Füssen and Meran/Merano. Roman Imst is buried under the old town, however, and what little remains of its is difficult to study. Later, the current district capital of Imst became the seat of the central mining authority and the home of the bird trading profession, which inspired the popular operetta ‘The Bird Seller’. The people of Imst are particularly proud of their traditional Carnival, which takes place every four years. Have a look at the museum dedicated to it.

The Inntal valley between Imst and Landeck offers pleasant villages, one of the few remaining floodplains of the Inn, and Kronburg castle throning high above the valley on a rock. You will also be treated to spectacular views of the surrounding mountains. Do not forget to look back at the Tschirgant between the Inntal and Gurgltal valleys. Around the halfway mark between Imst and Landeck lies Mils with the motorway service area and ‘adventure village’ of Trofana Tyrol. It offers all services which an old Roman road station would have offered to travelers along the Via Claudia Augusta – and then some.

The sunny slopes around Landeck have been the site of human settlement since pre-Roman and Roman times. Many archaeological finds have proven that: in Fließ, Stanz, Grins and near Kronburg castle. As was recently determined, the parish church of Landeck dates back to early Christianity, suggesting a sizable Roman settlement. Archaeologists already assumed that a Roman road station stood in today’s district capital, as the Roman road leads from the slopes into the valley here. Landeck is surrounded by multiple fortress complexes. Schloss Landeck castle, the former seat of the court, is the most significant and the best preserved of them. The Arlberg railway was a major catalyst for the development of the town. The sunny slopes of the valley are favorable for agriculture as well as human settlement. Do not miss your chance to sample the excellent produce of this culinary region.

The Oberes Gericht (‘upper court’) is an area stretching from Landeck to Nauders. Its name is based on the seat of the court, which used to be at Schloss Laudegg castle above Prutz before moving to Schloss Siegmundsried castle in the 17th century. This is one of the Via Claudia Augusta’s best-preserved sections. It illustrates well how important the road was for the development of settlements. Many sections of the old country road, which has been replaced by the parallel B180 since, correspond to the Roman road. It passes picturesque towns and hamlets, castles and fortresses, manors and inns, farms and churches and a few old bridges. The most impressive bridge is that at Altfinstermünz, which used to be a customs station erected by the Romans where the Roman road crossed the Inn river.

In the olden days, the Alpine passes were extremely challenging. That is why the Romans liked to build rest stations before and after each pass. At an altitude of 1507, meters, the Reschenpass is the highest point of the Via Claudia Augusta. Its peak is in Italy. The Austrian municipality of Nauders, a little to the north, used to be the site of the only Roman road station documented in writing: Inutrium. Today, holidaymakers flock to the high valley. They enjoy the beautiful mountainscapes around Nauders, Reschen/Resia, Graun/Curon, and St. Valentin/San Valentino in summer and winter alike. These four towns are in two countries and tourism regions, but they are all part of the geographical region of the Vinschgau valley. Visitors also appreciate the reservoirs that were created on the pass. The steeple of the submerged Altgrauner church protruding from the water is one of the most popular photo motifs on the route.

This region is filled with historical town centers and buildings like few others along the Via Claudia Augusta. Due to its favorable climate, the Vinschgau valley has been a popular place of human settlement since long before the Romans arrived. Its name is derived from the Venostes, a Rhaetian tribe settled on the Tartscher Bichl and the Ganglegg above Schluderns/Sluderno among other sites. The historical route of the Via Claudia Augusta led across the Mals heath, where archaeologists have identified a former Roman road station, and followed the sunny side of the valley after Mals/Malles. In the 10th century, Romanic farmers populated the region more densely and made the ground arable. Marienberg monastery supported them from the 12th century onwards. Multiple castles, the medieval town of Glurns/Glorenza with its fully preserved walls, and the centers of the surrounding villages bear witness to those times. Building on its rich heritage, the Vinschgau valley presents itself as a historically significant cultural region of South Tyrol.

The heart of the fruitful Vinschgau valley lies on the foothills of the Sonnenberg mountain. The Roman road is likely to have passed this area, where the marble village of Laas/Lasa and the regional capital, the market town of Schlanders/Silandro, are located today. Nomadic herders and hunters were present here as early as the Neolithic, attracted by sunny weather and low rainfall due to the high mountain ranges in the north and south. Since Roman times or earlier, the locals have mined the famous marble of Laas/Lasa and Göflan/Covelano. The milestone of the Via Claudia Augusta found at Rabland/Rablà provides evidence of this. Schlanders/Silandro and Laas/Lasa are first mentioned in writing in records from the late 11th and early 12th century. In the 14th century, Schlanders/Silandro became the seat of the court.

There are about ten fortress complexes and stately homes dotted around the narrow pass in the middle of the geographical Vinschgau valley region, which stretches up all the way to the Töll/Tel valley step. They were built very close to each other and helped secure this strategically important location. The most important structures are Schloss Goldrain castle, the educational and cultural center of the Vinschgau valley, Kastelbell/Castelbello with its permanent exhibition on the Via Claudia Augusta, and Reinhold Messner’s summer residence of Juval, high up on the mountain. Blessed with a diverse microclimate offering plenty of sunshine, low precipitation and cool breezes at night, the region is home to a relatively recent tradition of growing a wide variety of quality wines. Kastelbell-Tschars/Castelbello-Ciardes is the largest wine-growing area in the valley, spanning an area of 25.5 hectares. Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Grigio, Gewürztraminer, Riesling, Vernatsch, Zweigelt and Pinot Noir ripen here.

While the municipalities of Naturns/Naturno, Plaus and Partschins/Parcines are geographically part of the Vinschgau valley, they belong to the administrative district of Burggrafenamt and the tourism association of the Meran/Merano and environs. The earliest evidence of human settlement found on the southern mountain pass date back to the Mesolithic. The name ‘Naturns’ comes from the Celts and translates to ‘settlements on the meadow’. Human settlement of this region has continued uninterrupted. One of the two milestones of the Via Claudia Augusta was found in Rabland/Rablà. The Prokuluskirchlein, a little church in the eastern part of Naturns/Naturno, dates back to the 7th century. Its inner frescoes were probably painted in the 8th century, making them the oldest in the German-speaking cultural sphere. Visit the St. Prokulus museum to learn about the history of the region from its multimedial exhibition.

The 200-meter terrace near Töll/Tel takes you from the Vinschgau valley into the Mediterranean garden village of Algund/Lagundo. Its lower altitude and sheltered location make this region one of Italy’s warmest: palm trees, cypresses and olive trees grow alongside birch trees and sycamores. There are many gardens with southern plants here. They give the village a feeling of existing simultaneously in the Alps and the Mediterranean. The Roman road had a bridge here. It crossed the Etsch river near Schloss Forst castle, then headed back up the hill and onwards to the panoramic village of Marling/Marlengo on the western slopes above Meran/Merano. To this day, there are bridges over the Etsch river between Algund/Lagundo and Marling/Marlengo. The Brückenkopf museum in Algund/Lagundo tells the story of the historical ones. Two of the most beautiful canal paths lead through the beautiful landscapes dotted with vineyards and apple orchards, the Algunder Waal and the Marlinger Waal. In and around Meran/Merano, you will also find the only wellness spa along the Via Claudia Augusta, the gardens of Schloss Trauttmansdorf castle, and Schloss Tirol castle. The area is a holistic region of well-being awash with mother nature’s ripest bounty.

Between Meran/Merano and Bolzano/Bozen, the Roman road crossed the Etschtal valley along its western slope. Prehistoric settlements existed on its many hills. In Nals/Nalles, archaeologists discovered a house with a underfloor heating system, bathing complex and apsis from late antiquity. The Aschbach river in Gargazon/Gargazzone marked the boundary between the Roman provinces of Rhaetia I and Rhaetia II. To this day, this region is a border region. From the 13th century onwards, countless fortresses sprang up, giving the area the highest density of castles in Europe. Some of the towns in the region are very old: St. George’s Church and St. Margaret’s Church in Lana both date back to the 9th century, for instance. The locals lived off the produce of their land and business which the road brought; some worked in mining. Important silver mines existed in Nals/Nalles and Terlan/Terlano. In the 15th century, as many as 1000 miners were digging for ores in more than 30 pits in Terlan/Terlano alone. From Andrian/Andriano onwards, the Etsch river was navigable, facilitating the transport of silver to the south.

Researchers believe that the Pons Drusi, a bridge on the Roman road that is mentioned in early records, was located at the spot where today’s  Drusus Bridge crosses the Eisack river, a little way to the west of its confluence of the Talfer and the Eisack. Before, it crossed the Etsch and the valley basin at the foot of Siegmundskron castle. The valley basin is occupied entirely by the capital of the autonomous province today. Between 1170 and 1180, the town was built as a planned market settlement with a central street and a marketplace (the Kornplatz).  It was expanded several times later.

Bridges used to be expensive and difficult to build and maintain. That is why they were few and far between, and a road had to be built into the slopes on both sides of the river. A Roman road probably ran along today’s South Tyrolean Wine Road, crossing the well-known wine-growing villages of St. Pauls/San Paolo, St. Michael/San Michele, Kaltern am See/Caldaro, Tramin/Termeno, Kurtatsch/Cortaccia, Margreid/Magrè, and Kurtinig/Cortina. The Via Claudia Augusta itself is likely to have clung to the eastern slope on its way to the south. It would have led from the foot of the striking Castelfeder hill in Auer/Ora, which has been a site of human settlement for millennia, to the proven Roman road station of Endidae in the modern village of Neumarkt/Egna and onwards to Salorno/Salurn, where the famous Salurner Klause used to be. From Bronzolo/Branzoll near South Tyrol’s southernmost and most recently built city, Laives/Leifers, the Etsch river was navigable by raft. Until the construction of the railway, it was the most important transportation route for the economy of South Tyrol and Trentino.

The drift washed up by the Noce river from the Nonstal valley dammed the Etsch river, creating a large lake that filled the entire valley. It formed a natural border between the municipalities in the south of South Tyrol, those of the Nonstal valley, and those to the north of Trento. This made it more difficult for the people of the various localities to interact with each other and contributed to the emergence of the language border between the German-speaking and Italian-speaking areas. Today, the inhabitants of the Piana Rotaliana all speak Italian. But the water also created a border across the region: Mezzocorona (Kronmetz), today’s agricultural center, is culturally more German, while the traditional mercantile centers of Mezzolombardo at the entrance to the Nonstal valley and Lavis at the entrance of the Avisio valley are culturally Italian with impressive palazzi. The lake no longer exists. The soil on the drift from the Noce river is particularly fertile. All of the Piana Rotaliana and its slopes are covered in vineyards, where the famous Teroldego grapes ripen – a regional specialty. The former Foundation of San Michele all’Adige contributed considerably to the flourishing of this region. To this day, its Istituto Agrario is the agricultural competence center of the entire Trentino, and its local-history museum documents the customs and traditions of the state. Of all the palaces and fortresses in the region, the San Gottardo grotto castle behind Mezzocorona is the best known.

As the name suggests, Trento has Rhaetian origins. It was already an important traffic hub during their time. The Via Claudia Augusta forked in Tridentum. The road leading to the Adriatic port town of Altinum near Venice was the Via Claudia Augusta Altinate; the road leading to the river port of Ostiglia on the Po river was the Via Claudia Augusta Padana. From there, another road led to Rome. The later historical significance of the city is primarily due to the Council of Trent (1545–1563). It initiated the Counter-Reformation and delineated its intellectual foundations. The map of today’s Old Town was shaped significantly during that period. Later, Baroque buildings were added to the Renaissance-style district. Until the invasion of the Napoleonic Troops, the prince-bishops of Trento rules over the city and the surrounding region from the their base in the majestic Buonconsiglio Castle.

To the south of Trento lies the southernmost part of the Etschtal valley: the Vallagarina. Its captivating landscape has remained wholly unspoilt despite its location between conurbations and along one of Europe’s most important thoroughfares. Historically grown villages nestle in picturesque valleys, mountains and hills lined with sprawling vineyards. Medieval castles punctuate the area.

Trentino’s second city is the capital of the Vallagarina district. Its charming old town and the important MART gallery of contemporary art make it an important tourist attraction. Historians believe that there used to be an Iron Age settlement here. The Romans had a fort here. This important road and the raft factory on the Etsch river between the Alps and Veneto remained a significant economic factor. Rovereto experienced its heyday in the 18th century, when the silk industry, established by the Venetians, was at its height. The region was one of the most fiercely contested areas in the First World War. Countless forts in the mountains to the east of the city serve as war memorials today. They have given the city its image as a ‘city of peace’.

The border between Trentino and Veneto runs south of the Vallagarina. Here, the Etschtal valley turns into the plain of the Pianura Padana. This region used to be heavily contested. Until 1919, it was a part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The German names of the local towns and villages date back to that time, and the influence of the German cultural sphere is omnipresent. All over the southern Vallagarina, you will find lovely landscapes and picture-perfect villages.

As you leave Borghetto, you enter Veneto – or, to be precise, the Venetian province of Verona. Geographically, the area stretching to the gorge of Rivoli Veronese still belongs to the Vallagarina. It has always been a transit region, and its first settlers  arrived here early. The first traces of human activity found here back to the Stone Age. Even the oldest traces of human settlement of the region date to pre-Roman times. At the time of the Via Claudia Augusta, there was a road station in this area. Today, the Veronese Vallagarina  is more sparsely populated than the section of the valley that lies in Trentino. The area between Monte Baldo and the Lessinia National Park is a significant wine-growing region and the home of Enantio Wine.  

The Ceraino gorge marks the end of the Etschtal valley. On various occasions when the river ran high, it flooded completely and became impassable. That is why the Via Claudia Augusta, much like the modern highway, ran from the Vallagarina up to the plateau on which Rivoli Veronese is situated today. From Rivoli, you have access to the Venetian part of Lake Garda and its famous resort towns, such as Bardolino and Lazise, as well as Verona and the Po Plain. Due to its central location, Rivoli has always been a significant town. Its plateau was the site of a major battle between Napoleon’s army and the troops of the Habsburg Monarchy. Later, the House of Habsburg established the Forte Wohlgemuth, which still thrones above the valley to this day.

Mention Valpolicella and you will inevitably think of the Recioto and Amarone, the only surviving wines from antiquity. They have been around for two millennia. Valleys and mountain ridges unfold through the area like the fingers of a hand. These ancient wine-growing landscapes and the traditions associated with it will captivate you at any point of the warm season: from the delicate, fresh shades of green that cover the region in spring to the purples and reds of the grapes that color the area in autumn. The landscape is punctuated by several natural and architectural monuments. 

Verona is the second largest city on the Via Claudia Augusta leading to Augsburg. It was originally founded by the Rhaetians and the Euganei. Around 550 B. C., the Gaulish tribe of the Cenomani conquered the settlement, and in 89 B. C., it became a Roman colony. It was no coincidence that its Roman conqueror was the very same emperor who initiated the construction of the transalpine road and the establishment of an important city at the gateway to the Alps: Augustus. The arena, in which the famous opera festival takes place every year nowadays, was built a little later. It predates the Colosseum in Rome. After the Romans left, an eventful period began. Verona only gained independence in the early 12th century. Its much-visited old town was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000.

The wide plain stretching towards the horizon on both sides of the Po river is one of Italy’s most fertile and, in turn, most densely populated areas. Due to the relatively cold winters, tropical fruit have never been grown here on a large scale. Today, sugar beets, sweetcorn, wheat, and wine make up most of the crops cultivated along Italy’s largest river. The agricultural fields surrounding Verona bear a wider variety of produce, as they have always supplied the city itself. Historically and culturally, the towns are closely connected to the city, too. There are especially many connections to the Scaligeri, the ruling family of Verona in the late Middle Ages. The historical route of the Via Claudia Augusta is said to correspond to today’s railway track from Verona to Ostiglia. That is why our travel route takes you through the towns along that railway line – after a quick detour through the wine-growing region surrounding Custoza and the ‘fruit and vegetable garden’ of the city.

In Roman times, Ostiglia was called Hostilia. It was an important river port on the Po. According to the milestone of Rabland/Rablà, it is the starting point of the Via Claudia Augusta. From here, goods were transported downriver and across the river, from where the Via Claudia Augusta continued to the south. Today, Ostiglia is still a traffic hub, where the state road 482 ‘Alto Polesine’, coming from Mantua, crosses with the state road 12 dell‘Abetone e del Brennero , coming from Verona. In the 17th century, the people of this region began to grow rice, which the Italians use to make their beloved risotto.

If you have a little time on your hands, there is no point in backtracking on the same route to get back to the north. Why not head from Ostiglia to Altino near Venice to take the Via Claudia Augusta Altinate to Trento?