The Hermitage of San Colombano

Address/Place
Trambileno
Distance from Trento
- 32 km
Geographical area
Vallagarina
Tags

Situated in the municipality of Trambileno and accessible via the abandoned road that leads from Piazza Podestà in Rovereto to Vicenza, which must be taken on foot and involves a short track and 102 steps carved right out of the rock, the Hermitage of San Colombano was built halfway up a rocky precipice approximately 120m tall.
Protected from the elements by a natural roof of rock, the Hermitage is dedicated to the Saint and young knight who, legend has it, slayed the dragon that killed the children baptised in the waters of the River Leno below. The Hermitage seems to have been inhabited since 753. We cannot be certain of the date of construction of the church or the annex, although it is becoming increasingly widely believed that it was built in the early 11th century.