Located in a valley of the towering Alps, Trento is a city built upon Roman ruins. It was the summer residence for Italian bishops and was even once part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. I went there with my husband and our kid for the Traverse conference. It is rich in historic sites, but also has a science and aerospace museum, so there is plenty to do with an active boy.

You can easily reach Trento because it is on the main train line from Germany to Italy and by international airports in Verona or Bolzano.

Buonconsiglio Castle sits just outside of the city center. The complex was originally the seat of the Bishops of Trent from the 13th until the 18th century.

The courtyard has Venetian arches and painted walls. You should take a moment to take in the views of the mountains when you wander the castle. Along with the structure, we saw Roman relics and Renaissance paintings.

I pointed out the ancient medieval and Roman coins to our son, showing him how money has changed through the ages. Also, through the complex, the frescos on the ceilings were richly detailed. You felt like you were seeing them stare at you from above.

There is a special section in the Eagle Tower that preserves the Middle Ages cycle of the months and it costs extra to see. I checked it out since I was curious and thought it went up higher in the tower and might have a view, although it didn’t.

I found it interesting though, such as a winter month cycle showing nobles throwing snowballs, which is something I never imagined seeing on a painted wall. Yet, for a four-year-old staring at a wall of the month paintings, it was a bit too much. You might check it out if you have extra time and not with kids.

After exploring this room we had to rush to find a bathroom. The kid had to go bathroom like right now. We had to go through the whole complex to the front and leave the paid castle section to use it. Luckily, the ticket taker let us back in without a problem. Just, note that it is by the medieval walls and in the front area of the complex and you might have your little one use it first before you head in!

After we finished exploring the castle we headed back towards our hotel. On the way from the castle is a playground. I always use Googlemaps to find these before I go to a European city. If you have a kid it is always good to let them burn off some energy.

The next day we checked out the Sass Underground Archaeological Space, in Piazza Cesare Battisti, where you can see the remains of the ancient Roman city of Tridentum. This Roman fortified city was founded here in the middle of the first century.

What I enjoyed with the kid was walking the ancient streets with him. There are not a lot of times we can take a walk on cobblestones laid down by Romans. The underground goes below the Social Theater and if you go there a small glass section is open from above.

Along with seeing some of the ruins of Roman mosaic floors and walls you also see artifacts from this period. As I wandered around with the kid I noticed some ancient tablets. I had him search for letters that make up his name. You might come up with other ideas when you are in a museum, but this helps to bring some learning into where we go since he can’t follow all the history that is here.

We also found time to take the Funivia Cable Car up from Trento to Sardegna. Our son noticed the cable car crossing the Adige River when we first arrived and had been clamoring to ride it. He loves to go on these and thinks of them as amusement rides. We’ve been traveling throughout Europe for a few months and we’ve done every kind of mountain transportation, such as incline railways, funiculars, and gondolas.

My husband doesn’t like heights so he waved goodbye as we left the station and while we enjoyed the ride, he made the right choice. From the cable car, you have some amazing views of the town below and the surrounding mountains. Close by the station on top there is a small restaurant if you want to have a bite to eat with a view.

After the ride down I came across another playground just across the river. A band was playing and there were games and food vendors. Normally I wouldn’t disturb a neighborhood get-together, but our son ran towards the playground and off we were here listening to Italian rock music and doing carnival games.

After he exhausted himself from running we headed back to our hotel where nearby was a takeout pizza place. If you are on a budget or if you want a fast meal with a kid that can get antsy if you linger longer at a restaurant these are perfect solutions. The pizza was tasty being Italy, cheap and we could easily grab some and take it up to our room for a quick dinner, definitely a worthy option when traveling.

While I was at the conference my husband did some activities without me. He went to the MUSE or the Museo delle Scienze and reported on their activities there.

In the MUSE you can see exhibits on the first Alpine dwellers, the nature of the Alps, and interactive games for kids. The museum is organized that you start on the top floor, which starts in the sky with birds and goes all the way down to below ground where there are dinosaurs. The whole museum is open and so our son was impatient starting at the top as he couldn’t wait to see the dinosaurs at the bottom. In addition to the dinosaurs, he loved all the activities that demonstrated science principles, although he drew the line at the bed of nails.

Near the museum, there is a small playground that includes a slide, swings and climbing structure. One downside is that there is basically no shade so it can get hot.

On the other side of the museum is the Albere Palace, which they did not go in. It includes a moat and if you look behind it in the distance is a waterfall. It is worth walking over and checking out the grounds. Sadly, there is no way to get across the river to see the waterfall from the MUSE grounds.

They used the bus to get there, which was free with the Trentino Guest Card.

Why You Should Get A Trentino Guest Card

I will take a moment to talk about this card, which was free with a two-day stay at a participating Trentino area hotel. The card allowed for free public transport throughout the Trentino area including trains, ferries and some cable cars, such as the one in Trento. You have free admission to over 60 museums including the Buonconsiglio Castle, MUSE and even the Verona Roman amphitheater. If you are only in Trento for the day you can still obtain it for a discounted rate. The easiest way to use the card is through their App.

Other Sites to See That We Didn’t Make It To

Museo dell Aeronautica Gianni Caproni, the aeronautical museum is just outside of Trento. It is the first aeronautical collection in the world established in the 1920s. Gianni Caproni, a pioneer in aviation, started the museum. It is not easy to reach by public transportation so if you have a car it is worth checking out otherwise it is not easy to do.

Another interesting place to go to is the Orrido di Ponte Alto canyon. You can reach it by public transportation, but it has limited hours.

These two sites sounded both fascinating, but since we didn’t have a car and couldn’t get to the canyon when it was open, we didn’t make it to them.

Also, the area has many hiking options in the Dolomites and the Castel Beseno, a medieval fortress high on a hilltop several miles away, but we have a four-year-old so these were a bit hard to do for us.

If you have other suggestions when you are traveling as a family in Italy or sites to see feel free to leave comments below. Happy family travels!