Trento area in July
 

We are traveling to Scanna, the birthplace of my grandfather, to see our "roots." What else would be great to do while in the northern Italy/Alps region in July? We will have about 6 additional days. My husband is a chef so we like anything foodie as well.

Go to Bolzano to see the "Ice Man". It is amazing.
http://www.mummytombs.com/museums/italy.tyrol.otzi.htm

http://www.slowtrav.com/italy/trentino/iceman.htm

As your husband is a chef, these are two my suggestions in the surrounding area of Scanna.
Visit the sweet and small lake of Toblino, you will enjoy the view.
Have your dinner (or lunch) at HOSTERIA TOBLINO (www.toblino.it) and you will never forget it!
Then you can visit also Malè, in the heart of Val di Sole, as July is a wonderful month, and have dinner (or lunch) at CONTE RAMPONI.
Ciao.

Vincenzo

Hi Cin - Lots of options for lovely days in the surrounding Dolomites.

If you have a car you can do a scenic circular drive around the Brenta Dolomites via Madonna di Campiglio (- don't miss the cable-car ride) and Lake Molveno.

Besides Bolzano, nearby Trento is certainly worth a visit - as is Merano.

If you're interested in wine you could also do the South Tyrol 'Wine Route' via Caldaro/Appiano. Lake Caldaro is nice for boating - and there is a cog railway from Caldaro up to the Mendola Pass.

For longer drives you could do some of the spectacular passes in the Sella area. The whole area is lovely for hiking.

Lake Garda and Verona are also within range for a day-trip.

Lots of options ...

Steve

As vincenzod says, the Toblino restaurant is fantastic and here's a picture of the Lake:

http://www.hidden-italy.com/images/image016.html

Trento, the nearest city, is lovely with good restaurants and choice.

Another option from Bolzano is the cable car to Oberbozen, from where you can enjoy stunning scenery on a little narrow gauge tram. You could easily spend a day there

I second pjdscott's suggestion of Oberbolzen. Stunning indeed!

Riva di Garda is also an easy daytrip from Trento, exquisitely beautiful, though in July may be heaving with people, as may be much of the area.

Set at the northern tip of Lake Garda thrusting into the foothills of the former Austrian Alps, Riva is a lovely place to spend a few days, with not much to do but sit beside the lake or wander the maze of narrow streets in the old town. There are palm trees lining the streets, roses and jasmine trained to climb the palms, clothing the rough brown trunks with colorful and sweetly scented blossoms.

From Riva it is possible to take a ferry to visit interesting nearby villages such as Malcesine with its Castello Scaligero and Limone where there are terraced lemon plantings set under glass against heated walls, grown this way since Roman times. Or you can spend a whole day on the ferry, calling in at one small town after another along one shore, all the way down to Sirmione, then all the way back up along the other shore.

The lake has steeper cliffs on the western side, the tops being like smoothly worn teeth. Little churches, dwellings and settlements cling here and there, appearing totally inaccessible, and in fact many of the lakeside villages were once only accessible by boat until the new road was chiseled and blasted through at the base of the cliffs.