TRENTINO, THE, the name of that part of Tyrol which adjoined Italy be fore the World War.
This territory constituted one of the claims for which Italy entered the World War on the side of the Allies, in 1915, and was immediately occupied by the Italian army on beginning operations against the Austrians.
The territory in question is in the southern part of the Tyrol, covers the Adige Valley, being watered by the Adige river, and its chief center of popu lation is the city of Trent, whence the name of the Trentino is derived. This southern valley is bounded on the E. by the Trent (or Trentino) Alps, on the W. by the Ortler Alps, which project down into the fields of Lombardy. The main chain is cleft toward the center of the Trentino by a deep depression, in which lies the Brenner Pass. Included with the Adige Valley, in the Italian claims, were the Roveredo Valley and the Valley of the Sarca, or district of Riva, on Lake Garda. The claims of Italy rested not only on the nationality of the population of the Trentino, but on a historical basis as well. In early times this whole coun
try had been in possession of the Ro mans. Later it fell to the Germanic bar barians who invaded Lombardy. During the Napoleonic Wars the southern Tyro], or the Trentino, was annexed to Italy, in 1814, but was given back to Austria hi the year following. During the Austrian administration, however, the Italian in habitants made continuous efforts to be separated from the German Tyrol, as a separate administrative unit, at least. Economically, too, the interests of the people were Italian, as their entire trade was with the S., their wood and cattle being exchanged for the grains grown in the plains of Lombardy. Italy's lack of national unity, till the middle of last century, and, later, her interests in Africa, compelling her to seek an alli ante with Germany and Austria, pre vented her for this long period from sup porting the ambitions of the Italians of the Tre_ntino to become a part of the Italian nation.