- Also Levico Terme, Levego, Löweneck, Leve.
- Year 1909.
Levico Terme is a comune (municipality) in Trentino in the northern Italian region Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, located about 15 kilometres (9 mi) southeast of Trento.
Levico Terme is located on the highest point of the Valsugana valley bottom, at 520 metres (1,710 ft) above sea level, 22 kilometres (14 mi) from Trento and about 110 kilometres (68 mi) from Padua, on the banks of the Rio Maggiore brook, which is a tributary of Lake Levico, from which originates the Brenta River.
The city is dominated by the mountains of the Lagorai range on the north, with Monte Fronte, elevation 1,582 metres (5,190 ft), and Monte Panarotta (2,002 metres (6,568 ft)), and the zone of the Plateaus (Vezzena, Lavarone, Luserna, Folgaria) on the south, where Cima Vezzena, also locally called Pizzo di Levico 1,908 metres (6,260 ft), with its distinctive Austro-Hungarian fort on its top, and Cima Pegolara are located.
To the west the Vigolana range can be seen past the lakes of Levico and Caldonazzo, and on the east the valley opens considerably, and the view extends beyond Borgo Valsugana.
The urbanised area is predominantly on the valley floor, with the main urban centre lying on the left side of the river Brenta along with the frazioni of Selva and Campiello, while on the right of the river lie the ‘frazioni’ of Barco, Santa Giuliana and Quaere. Other hamlets do not lie on the valley floor, though their population is low and often tied to seasonal activities such as tourism (Vetriolo Terme, 1,500 metres (4,900 ft)) or mountain activities such as logging, grazing and recreation (Passo Vezzena, 1,402 metres (4,600 ft)).
The municipality of Levico Terme is traditionally divided into six rioni (quarters): Chiesa (north-west), Furo (north-east), Grande (south-west) and Cortina (south-east) in the main urban centre, Oltrebrenta comprising all the frazioni on the right bank of the Brenta (Barco, Santa Giuliana, Quaere), and Selva comprising the village of the same name and Campiello.
West of the city, above Lake Levico, lies Forte Col De Le Bene, an Austro-Hungarian fort, also known as Forte San Biagio, from the name of the hill it is built on. In 1779, through a treaty between Austria and the Bishopric of Trent, the jurisdiction of Levico passed to the House of Habsburg.
Napoleon I, on his way to the battle of Bassano in September 1796, after reaching Trento passed through the Valsugana, encountering a light Austrian resistance in Levico, which was then defined by Napoleon loco ameno et hospitale (quaint and hospitable town).
Afterwards, Levico would follow the rest of Trentino in its annexation to Austria, after the abolition of the Bishopric as a political entity in 1803. The Third Italian War of Independence saw a battle between Austrian and Italian troops, during the latter’s advance towards Trento, fought in town through the night between July 23 and July 24, 1866. In 1894 Levico was elevated to the rank of city (Stadtgemeinde), by Imperial-Royal Decree, under Franz Joseph I of Austria, and in 1896 it was reached by the Valsugana railway.