Overview
The guardian of the artistic heritage of Trento
It is also worth a visit for the beauty of its location and surroundings. The Tridentine Diocesan Museum occupies the halls of the wonderful Palazzo Pretorio, the first bishop's residence in Trento that dominates the central Piazza Duomo, next to the Cathedral of San Vigilio. The Palace, with its 45-metre high Civic Tower, its crenellated walls and its facades lightened by mullioned windows and triple lancet windows, will enchant you. But it is inside that you will find the real treasures.
The Tridentine Diocesan Museum, founded in 1903, stands on the remains of an ancient early Christian basilica and houses artistic masterpieces from the 11th to the 19th century. Paintings, wooden sculptures, Flemish tapestries, embroidery, goldsmithing, local artistic production, vestments and illuminated codes, but also the treasures of the Cathedral with the processional urn of St Vigil and precious testimonies of the Council of Trent. Walking through its halls means taking a journey through the religious, cultural and artistic traditions of Trento.
After the visit to the Palazzo Pretorio, do not miss the other attractions included in the Museum: the Civic Tower or Piazza Tower, the early Christian Basilica of St Vigil, the Porta Veronensis and the Villa Lagarina inside Palazzo Libera. Porta Veronensis and Villa Lagarina are temporarily inaccessible to the public.
