Trentino-Alto Adige · Trento
Molveno
The village at the north end of a deep blue alpine lake, with a pale limestone range rising straight out of the water.
Picked by Peter Benei
Letter to come
Why Molveno is on our list
It holds Bandiera Arancione.
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Visiting
- Best time
- Apr–Oct
- By car
- 41 min from Trento
- Population
- 1,107
- J5°
- F8°
- M10°
- A13°
- M17°
- J22°
- J24°
- A24°
- S20°
- O15°
- N9°
- D4°
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
Daytime air temperature, averages for 2020–2024. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.
Why come
Molveno sits at 864 meters on the northern shore of a lake formed by a landslide about 4,000 years ago, held in on one side by the Brenta Dolomites and on the other by Monte Paganella. The village and its historic center face the water from below the plateau of Pradel, which rises behind it and is reached by cable car, so the two halves of the place, lake shore and high ground, look at each other across the same stretch of blue. The cemetery church stands slightly apart, above the center, on the same slope.
The lake is second-largest in the region by surface and the deepest in Trentino. The nature park that holds the Brenta group begins right at the western shore, which means the mountains are not a backdrop seen from Molveno but a boundary the village is built against. The result is a place with almost no distance between the water, the settlement and the wild ground above it: the whole of Molveno can be read as a narrow shelf between a deep lake and a limestone wall.
How to get there
From Verona (VRN), about 1 h 50 min by car.
Milan Bergamo (BGY) is about 2 h 34 min away.
By car from the center of Trento 41 min or Bolzano 59 min.
Coming by train into Trento? Molveno is about 41 min away by road.
Every town within reach of Verona airport.
First time driving in Italy? Read our complete manual.
What to see
Lago di Molveno
Four kilometers of water at 864 meters, formed by a landslide around 4,000 years ago, ringed by the Brenta Dolomites on one side and Monte Paganella on the other.
Chiesa di San Vigilio
Gothic 13th-century church inside the village cemetery above the historic center, with stone walls and a separate bell tower.
Parco Naturale Adamello-Brenta
Largest protected area in Trentino, beginning at Molveno's western shore, with the Brenta Dolomites, brown bears, glaciers and a network of rifugi.
Pradel altopiano
Plateau above the village reached by cable car, with hiking trails, a wildlife area and views across the lake toward the Brenta group.
Living here
Could you live here?
Molveno is at the end of the road.
- A village of 1,107. The nearest town of 5,000 people, Mezzolombardo, is 26 min away: past our 15-minute rule, which makes this the end of the road.
- Trento, a city of 118,640, is 41 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 1,107, down 3% since 2015
- Nearest city Trento, 41 min drive
- Nearest national health service hospital Trento, 15 km as the crow flies · how healthcare works in Italy
- Homes in the center: €2,350 to €2,900 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
- Remote
- Pharmacy in town
- Full fibre reaches 95% of homes
- Primary school in the comune
- Earthquake zone 3, low hazard
- Verona airport (VRN), 1 h 50 min drive, the nearest with scheduled flights
- Regional capital Trento, 41 min drive
If you are moving here
Who lives here
7% of residents are foreign citizens, most often from Romania, Morocco and Moldova, against 9% across Italy. There are 243 people over 65 for every 100 children under 15, against 216 across Italy. 61% 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, 15 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, 48 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. 24% of residents live in a zone the national maps rate medium for floods. 3% 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
LAGO DI MOLVENO
Trentino's deepest lake, 124 meters, and the most decorated. Cinque Vele rated it Italy's most beautiful lake for ten consecutive years.
BRENTA DOLOMITES
The pale limestone group of Cima Tosa, Campanile Basso and Crozzon di Brenta rising straight from the western shore, inside the Adamello-Brenta park.
BANDIERA ARANCIONE
Touring Club Italiano recognition for the management of the lake, the historic center and the relationship between village and surrounding park.
Common questions
- What is Molveno known for?
- Molveno is the village at the north end of a deep blue alpine lake, with a pale limestone range rising straight out of the water.
- Where is Molveno?
- Molveno is a comune in the province of Trento, in Trentino-Alto Adige, at 864 meters above sea level.
- What is the nearest airport to Molveno?
- The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Verona (VRN), about 1 h 50 min by car.
- How long is the drive from Trento to Molveno?
- About 41 min by car.
- When is the best time to visit Molveno?
- Best in Apr–Oct. July is the warmest month, averaging 24 degrees, and May the wettest, with about 20 rain days.
- Which other towns are like Molveno?
- San Zeno di Montagna, Monte Isola and Tremosine sul Garda.
- How many people live in Molveno?
- 1,107 residents, by ISTAT's count on 1 January 2025.
- Is Molveno a good place to live?
- By the rules in our Where to Move in Italy series, Molveno is at the end of the road: the nearest town of 5,000 people, Mezzolombardo, is 26 min away. The nearest city, Trento, is 41 min away by car. The nearest national health service hospital is in Trento, 15 km as the crow flies. Full fibre reaches 95% of homes.
Tags & data designations · numbers · sources
Recognized as
Landscape
The numbers
- Elevation: 864 m
- Population: 1,107
- Surface area: 34.12 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 Molveno 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 best hidden ski towns in the province of TrentoTrento provinceski areahidden10 towns · smallest 266 residents
- The best lake towns within two hours of BolzanoNear Bolzanolakewithin 2 hours10 towns · smallest 1,103 residents · closest 59 min away
Similar
Towns like Molveno
What all six share with Molveno: lake towns · under 3,000 people
San Zeno di Montagna
Province: Verona
both high up, between 600 and 1,000 metres
Monte Isola
Province: Brescia
both high up, between 600 and 1,000 metres
Tremosine sul Garda
Province: Brescia
Limone sul Garda
Province: Brescia
Brenzone sul Garda
Province: Verona
1 h 20 min apart by road
Torri del Benaco
Province: Verona
1 h 37 min apart by road
The letter
Molveno is on our list. Its letter is still to come.
We are writing about all 1,000 of these towns, one at a time, in a free letter: the photo, what is worth eating, and when to turn up. That is our mission. Sign up and you will be there when Molveno comes up. By Peter & Sophia, from Turin.
The nearest town we have written up is Chioggia, 145 km away. Read its letter →
Paid plans, the moving year and the books are on the membership page.