Trentino-Alto Adige · Trento
Andalo
An alpine pass at 1,042 meters on the Paganella plateau, with a mountain range on one side and a periodic lake that empties and refills.
Picked by Peter Benei
Letter to come
Visiting
- Best time
- Jun–Sep, Dec–Mar
- By car
- 39 min from Trento
- Population
- 1,220
- J3°
- F6°
- M8°
- A12°
- M16°
- J21°
- J23°
- A23°
- S18°
- O14°
- N7°
- D3°
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
Daytime air temperature, averages for 2020–2024. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.
Why come
The plateau opens between Piz Galin at 2,442 meters and Cima Paganella at 2,125 meters, with the mountain massif on one side and Mount Paganella on the other. The settlement began in the Middle Ages as thirteen scattered masi, the farm clusters typical of Trentino's high pastures, which merged into a single town over the centuries: the grassy pass the village now occupies was, in effect, assembled from separate hamlets rather than founded as one place.
From the second half of the twentieth century the village grew into a winter sports resort, with lift infrastructure climbing from the village center toward the higher slopes and summit. The lake at the edge of the settlement follows its own seasonal rhythm, full in spring and drained by late summer, apart from the built-up resort around it. Together the pieces read as a farming settlement that kept its old shape at the center while building a ski resort around its edge, with a nature park and a disappearing lake as the fixed, non-negotiable backdrop to both.
How to get there
From Verona (VRN), about 1 h 48 min by car.
Milan Bergamo (BGY) is about 2 h 32 min away.
By car from the center of Trento 39 min or Bolzano 57 min.
Coming by train into Trento? Andalo is about 39 min away by road.
Every town within reach of Verona airport.
First time driving in Italy? Read our complete manual.
What to see
Cima Paganella
Summit reached by gondola from the village center via Doss Pelà, with panoramic views over the Brenta Dolomites and the Adige valley.
Lago di Andalo
The lake sits at the edge of the village, a stretch of water that is full in spring and gone by late summer, its bed exposed where the shoreline had been.
Parco Naturale Adamello-Brenta
The park covers most of the Andalo territory, taking in the Brenta Dolomites group inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage list in 2009.
Paganella Ski Area
Slopes running between 1,030 and 2,125 meters, centered on the Andalo village base, with lift access built up through the second half of the twentieth century.
Altopiano della Paganella
Grassy plateau with hiking and biking routes across alpine pastures and through the masi that founded the village.
Living here
Could you live here?
Andalo is at the end of the road.
- A village of 1,220. The nearest town of 5,000 people, Mezzolombardo, is 24 min away: past our 15-minute rule, which makes this the end of the road.
- Trento, a city of 118,640, is 39 min by car. Inside our 30 to 60 minutes: close for the services, far enough to keep its own life.
The rules come from our series Where to Move in Italy, written from the places we have lived: Part 1, The End of the Road · Part 2, The Small Town · Part 3, The City · Part 4, The Postcard · Part 5, The Other Half. The towns we would pick are in Part 6, The Best Towns.
- Population 1,220, up 14.4% since 2015
- Nearest city Trento, 39 min drive
- Nearest national health service hospital Trento, 14 km as the crow flies · how healthcare works in Italy
- Homes in the center: €2,500 to €3,000 per m² to buy, €8.00 to €11.00 per m² a month to rent
All the numbers Common questions, designations, lists and sources.
More about living here
- In-between
- Pharmacy in town
- High school within a 30-minute drive
- Full fibre reaches 99% of homes
- Primary school in the comune
- Earthquake zone 3, low hazard
- Verona airport (VRN), 1 h 48 min drive, the nearest with scheduled flights
- Regional capital Trento, 39 min drive
If you are moving here
Who lives here
11% of residents are foreign citizens, most often from Moldova, Romania and Ukraine, against 9% across Italy. There are 199 people over 65 for every 100 children under 15, against 216 across Italy. 67% of homes have no resident, holiday homes and empty ones counted together, against 27% across Italy. Trento province ranks 1st of 107 in Il Sole 24 Ore's quality of life ranking for 2025.
Health and schools
The nearest emergency room is in Trento, 14 km as the crow flies, and it is a major one. It has a children's emergency room too. The nearest IB school is Realgymnasium Bozen, 45 km as the crow flies.
Information, not medical advice. Confirm with a professional.
Taxes
Trento has its own property tax, IMIS, in place of IMU. 7% pensioner tax: this town is not in a qualifying area.
Information, not tax advice. Confirm with a professional.
What it costs
The average household in Trentino-Alto Adige spends about €2,620 a month, €500 of it on food, against about €2,170 across Italy. A family of three pays about €302 a year for water, on the Trentino-Alto Adige average. In Trento, the provincial capital, in September 2026, an espresso cost €1.41, a meal in a pizzeria €13.90 and a man's haircut €24.84.
Climate and risk
It is in climate zone F, the coldest of Italy's six, with no national limit on when the heating runs. The national maps show no residents in a high or medium flood zone. Under 1% live in a zone rated high or very high for landslides.
These shares cover the whole comune, not any one street. Check an address on IdroGEO.
Moving from abroad? Which visa you need. Sources: ISTAT, the Ministry of Health, ISPRA, the Finance Ministry, the Ministry of Enterprise, Poste Italiane, the comuni, the IB, International Schools Database, Il Sole 24 Ore, Cittadinanzattiva.
Known for
PAGANELLA
Fifty kilometers of slopes from the village center to Cima Paganella at 2,125 meters, part of the Skirama Dolomiti Adamello Brenta circuit.
THE PERIODIC LAKE
Lago di Andalo fills with snowmelt and rain, then drains underground in summer, a hydrological behaviour shared by only eight lakes in the world.
ADAMELLO-BRENTA PARK
Most of the commune sits inside Trentino's largest nature park, with the Brenta Dolomites group recognized as UNESCO World Heritage in 2009.
Common questions
- What is Andalo known for?
- Andalo is an alpine pass at 1,042 meters on the Paganella plateau, with a mountain range on one side and a periodic lake that empties and refills.
- Where is Andalo?
- Andalo is a comune in the province of Trento, in Trentino-Alto Adige, at 1042 meters above sea level.
- What is the nearest airport to Andalo?
- The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Verona (VRN), about 1 h 48 min by car.
- How long is the drive from Trento to Andalo?
- About 39 min by car.
- When is the best time to visit Andalo?
- Best in Jun–Sep, Dec–Mar. July is the warmest month, averaging 23 degrees, and May the wettest, with about 19 rain days.
- Which other towns are like Andalo?
- Limone Piemonte, Ovindoli and Courmayeur.
- How many people live in Andalo?
- 1,220 residents, by ISTAT's count on 1 January 2025.
- Is Andalo a good place to live?
- By the rules in our Where to Move in Italy series, Andalo is at the end of the road: the nearest town of 5,000 people, Mezzolombardo, is 24 min away. The nearest city, Trento, is 39 min away by car. The nearest national health service hospital is in Trento, 14 km as the crow flies. Full fibre reaches 99% of homes.
Tags & data designations · numbers · sources
Recognized as
The numbers
- Elevation: 1042 m
- Population: 1,220
- Surface area: 11.38 km²
These figures were compiled from public directories: ISTAT, OpenStreetMap and Wikidata, and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.
The ranked lists
Lists Andalo appears in
- The best small high-altitude villages within 90 minutes of TrentoNear Trentoabove 800 mwithin 90 minsmall6 towns · smallest 266 residents · closest 39 min away
- The best ski towns within 90 minutes of TrentoNear Trentoski areawithin 90 min8 towns · smallest 266 residents · closest 30 min away
- The 10 best high-altitude villages in the province of TrentoTrento provinceabove 800 m10 towns · smallest 266 residents
- The 10 best mountain towns within 90 minutes of TrentoNear Trentomountainwithin 90 min10 towns · smallest 266 residents · closest 24 min away
- The best hidden ski towns in the province of TrentoTrento provinceski areahidden10 towns · smallest 266 residents
- The best mountain towns within two hours of VeronaNear Veronamountainwithin 2 hours10 towns · smallest 1,142 residents · closest 67 min away
Similar
Towns like Andalo
What all six share with Andalo: high in the mountains · under 3,000 people · mountain towns above 1,000 metres
The letter
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