Calliano (Trentino-Alto Adige)

Calliano is about 190 m a.s.l. in the central and northern part of Vallagarina, between Rovereto and Trento. The municipality is bordered east by the river Adige and west by the slopes of Mount Finonchio. South of the Rio Cavallo, which descends from the Valley of Terragnolo, marks the border with the municipality of Besenello on which the imposing mass of Castel Beseno is loomed. The landscape is characterized by terraces cultivated with vineyards and orchards on the conoids and the first slopes, while the plain valley bottom is occupied by the inhabited area, communication routes and industrial/artisanal areas.

The climate of Calliano is subcontinental temperate, typical of the middle alpine valley, with cold and snowy winters and warm summers but mitigated by the presence of surrounding reliefs and the breeze of the valley (Ora del Garda). Rainfalls are distributed throughout the year, with peaks in spring and autumn.

The strategic position of Calliano, at the outlet of the Terragnolo Valley and in the narrowest point of Vallagarina between Adige and the mountains, has determined its history since ancient times. Archaeological findings bear witness to the human presence in the Roman and rhetic era. In the Middle Ages, the area was disputed between several local lords and the Episcopal Principality of Trento. The first documented mention of the place dates back to the 12th century, in relation to the Stone, the rock on which the homonymous castle will rise.^[8] On August 10, 1487. The troops of the Republic of Venice, led by the commander Roberto Sanseverino d'Aragona, in an attempt to expand towards Trento, collided with the Tyrolean-Trentine forces under the command of Friedrich Kappler and Gaudenz von Matsch. The Venetians suffered a heavy defeat and Sanseverino himself died drowned in the Adige. The event marked a turning point in the wars between Venice and Tyrol, stopping the expansionism of the Serenissima north.

In the following centuries, Calliano retained its role as a strategic and border knot. Castel Pietra, enlarged in the 14th and 15th century, controlled the passage on the Imperial Road thanks to a powerful wall ("murazzo") that descended to the Adige, where a duty had to be paid.^[9]

During the Napoleonic Wars, Calliano was the scene of clashes between the French and Austrian troops. In 1796, Napoleon himself moved battle by exposing Castel Pietra by placing the artillery on the upper Cengio Rosso.^[9]

Alongside the Austro-Hungarian Empire after the Congress of Vienna, Calliano followed the fate of Tyrol until 1918. During World War I the country, near the front line, suffered damage. In the Second World War, being close to the Brenner Railway, he was heavily bombed by the Allies in 1944, with the destruction of about three quarters of homes, but fortunately without civilian casualties.^[10]

• Church of San Lorenzo: It is the parish church. It was originally built in 1492 by the Archduke Sigismund of Austria in memory of the victory at the Battle of Calliano, fought precisely on the day of San Lorenzo. The current building dates back to 1724 and is in neoclassical style.^[12]
• The church of Saints Fabiano and Sebastian: It was originally built in 1480, it was rebuilt in Baroque style in 1788. It is located in the historic center.^[13]

• Palazzo Valentini: 18th century architectural complex, today municipal seat.Ospita also the municipal library.
• Palazzo Pilosi/Demartin: Dating back to the 16th century, it has interesting historical frescoes.
• House of the Gendarmerie: Historical building that housed Austro-Hungarian prisons.

• Castel Pietra: It is the symbol of the village. It rises on a huge boulder that was once franate by Cengio Rosso, at the foot of Castel Beseno. Mented since the 12th century, it was an important border fortress between Tyrol and Venice, part of the defensive system that included Castel Beseno, Castel Nomi and Castel Barco. Today it is privately owned and used for events.

Inhabitants registered^[14]

In the 2021 census, they were declared belonging to the linguistic group cimbro on 0.4%, 0.4% to the language group of residents ^[15] .

At 31 December 2023 the resident foreign population was 192 people, equal to 9.3% of the total population.^[16] The first ten ethnic groups are as follows:

1. Albania, 23
2. Romania, 16
3. Serbia, 12
4. Moldova, 7
5. Ukraine, 5
6. Hungary, 4
7. North Macedonia, 2
8. Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2
9. Russia, 2
10. United Kingdom, 2

The majority of the population is Catholic. The municipality belongs to the Archdiocese of Trento and heads a single parish, that of San Lorenzo Martire.^[17]

• Public Library: It is located in Via Valentini 56, near the railway station, and it is part of the Trentino Library System.^[18]

• Carnival of Calliano: Traditional carnival party with maccheronata in the square and parade of masks.^[19]
• Commemoration of the Battle of Calliano: Historical re-enactments or cultural events related to the battle of 1487, often in collaboration with Castel Beseno.^[20]
• Feast of St. Lawrence: Patron festival celebrated on August 10th.

The commune has been the seat of some footage of the The veiled lady.

Calliano is crossed by Highway 12 of Abetone and Brennero (SS 12), which connects it to Rovereto and Trento. The A22 Brennero Motorway runs on the opposite bank of Adige, with the closest to Rovereto Nord and Trento Sud.

The municipality is served by the Brenner Railway with Calliano stop, reactivated for passenger service in April 2025.^[24] The regional trains of the Bolzano-Verona Porta Nuova report stop there.^[25]

The public transport is managed by Trentino Trasporti through the urban lines 1 and V, and from the extra-urban lines B301 and B306, that connect Calliano with Rovereto, Trento, the neighboring villages of Vallagarina and the plateau of Folgaria.^[26][27]

• Calliano Monferrato
• Callian