Faedo is a small and picturesque village in the province of Trento, situated in an enviable hilltop position overlooking the Adige Valley below, looks like a cluster of houses around the two main churches, guarded by the imposing façade of the castle and all around , regular rows of vineyards, which produce excellent wines, appreciated by the Romans and reported by the historian Suetonius.
Although the first mention of the village dates back to the VI century, during the clashes between Lombard and Franks, traces attest that the area was already inhabited since in the I century A.D. and was scenario of the battles between the Roman troops, led by the consul Domitian Lucatio Catullo and the Germanic tribes, under the leadership of King Koels, the latter were defeated and the Roman soldiers took possession of the fortress. In 1243 the Castle Monreale (or Konigsberg) was rebuilt on the ruins of the ancient fortress, while the development of the village was recorded between the XII and XIII centuries, coinciding with the massive work of deforestation, which gave way to the immigration of settlers (rucantores), who were entrusted to cultivate the farmlands.
The area features numerous and interesting nature trails, on foot or by mountain bike for lovers of winter sports with the equipped ski slopes of Paganella and Bondone in the nearby.
Attractions:
- the impressive architecture of the village, very compact, with typical "porteghi", alleyways required to extricate the tight space organization;
- the castle of Monreale (or Konigsberg), the powerful medieval structure, built in the first half of the XIII century in defense of the main road between Faedo and the Valley of Cembra. The name, according to some, would result from a political marriage that took place between Autari, king of the Lombards, and Teodolinda, daughter of the king of Bavaria, Garibaldo;
- the Church of St. Agatha, mentioned in official documents since the XII century, was not consecrated until the XIV century. It is in Baroque style with Romanesque elements, preceded by an elegant Renaissance pronaos. Inside it is possible to admire a monumental Baroque altar carved in wood with the coat of arms of the Dukes of Austria, the XVIII century baptismal font and a wooden pulpit;
- the Church of San Michele, built in the XVII century, after the complete destruction of the previous construction by a fire. Inside are preserved frescoes of artists Alberti and Ruprecht;
- the Museum of Uses and Customs of the Trentino People, housed in the rooms of the Monastery of St. Michael the Archangel, officially opened in 1145 by Bishop Altamanno.