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22 suggested cultural itineraries
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NATURALLY...
www.valdisole.net
22 cultural Itineraries
T O U R I N G
GB
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IN VAL DI SOLE
1. MALÉ. THE OLD QUARTER, WITH THE CHURCH OF THE PIEVE AND THE
VAL DI SOLE ETHNOGRAPHIC MUSEUM
2. JUST OUTSIDE MALÉ
3. AN UNUSUAL WALK: FROM CROVIANA TO DIMARO
4. CALDÉS: THREE CHURCHES AND A CASTLE
5. OLD AND NEW IN THE VAL DI RABBI
6. THE HEART OF THE VALLEY: SANTA AGATA IN COMMEZZADURA
7. THE CASTELLO DI OSSANA AND THE PARK
OF PEACE
8. A HIDDEN JEWEL: THE CHURCH OF
SANTA MARIA DI PELLIZZANO
9. THE PICTORIAL CYCLE OF
SANTA MARIA MADDALENA IN CUSIANO
10. SIGNS OF A DIFFICULT PAST IN PEJO
11. ON THE BORDERLANDS OF TRENTINO: THE PASSO TONALE
OUTSIDE VAL DI SOLE
12. FROM CLÉS TO TÓVEL, KINGDOM OF THE BROWN BEAR
13. CASTEL THUN
14. THE ALPINE SANCTUARY OF SAN ROMÉDIO
15. TRENTO, CAPITAL OF THE PRINCE-BISHOPRIC
16. BOLZANO: ÖTZI, THE SIMILAUN MAN, AND SO MUCH MORE
17. MERANO, THE CRADLE OF THE TYROL
18. THE MUCGT FOLK MUSEUM IN SAN MICHELE
AND THE ‘PYRAMIDS’ OF SEGONZANO
19. A CITY FULL OF CULTURE. ROVERETO AND CASTEL BESENO
20. A TOUR OF THE PASSES: TONALE, GAVIA, STELVIO AND PALADE
21. THE NEW ROAD TO PROVEIS
AND THE VAL D’ULTIMO
22. THE PRODUCTS OF TRENTINO: ’MONDO MELIN-DA’ AND THE VALLEY’S DAIRIES
23. A WIDE RANGE OF ALTERNATIVES
USEFUL ADDRESSES ANDTELEPHONE NUMBERS
VAL DI SOLE
ITINERARIES
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Ortisè
Cover picture: Pejo Valley photo A.P.T. Val di Sole archive
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The Val di Sole is in a remote corner of Trentinowith a history stretching back a thousand
years, as can be seen from its castles, churchesand noble residences. It has an unassuming charmall of its own, waiting there to be discovered.Side-by-side with nature – with its spectacularrivers and streams, glaciers, mountains, forestsand parks – culture has its own allure.There is not much in the line of archaeology, butthe towns and villages tell the story of the lastten centuries, with their churches and fortifiedbuildings (Castel Caldés, Rocca di Samoclévo,Palazzo Pèzzen in Croviana, Castel San Michele inOssana, Palazzo Migazzi in Cogolo).While these testify to the military and aristocrat-ic aspects of the Middle Ages, the churches re-count the history of the faithful in a more imme-diate and accessible language: devotional works,patron saints, frescoes, wooden sculptures andrefined religious architecture.The Val di Sole is a treasure-chest of late me-
dieval and baroque culture, to be opened and en-joyed at leisure.The towns and villages of the valley are not farapart and are served by an excellent public trans-port network.This includes busses and more par-ticularly the Trento-Malé Railway (Tel. +390463.901150), extended in recent years up to theMarilleva 900 resort. A cycle path also runsthrough much of the Val di Sole.There is thus easy access to the very heart of thisarea. It is a good idea to check opening times be-fore visiting any of the sites, especially thechurches and chapels.Many sacred buildings suffered from theft andvandalism in the past and are therefore oftenkept locked. Equally easy to visit are other fasci-nating destinations, such as the Park of Peace inOssana or the church of San Rocco in Peio.The treasures of the Val di Sole are to be discov-ered gradually, enjoying every moment as aunique adventure.
Votive altar
Direzione Brescia
Direzione Bormio
Direzione Bolzano
Direzione Trento
Direzione Sondrio
Lago delCareser
Lago Rotondo
L. MarmotteLagoCorvo
LagoPian Palù
L.delle Malghette
L.GelatoL. Serodoli
L. Ritorto
L. Venezia
Lago di Cornisello
L. Vedretta
L. Nuovo
L. Lungo
Cascate di Nardis
Sarca di
Nambrone Sarca di
Campiglio
Lago Covel
CascateSaent
CascateValorz
T. V
alor
z
L.dei Caprioli
T. Pr
esen
a
T. F
os
Caldes
Monclassico
Terzolas
Pondasio
Pr
Mestriago
Pracorno
TozzagaBordiana
P.te Mostizzolo
PianoPianoA
Commezzadura
Marilleva1400
PellizzanoOssanaOssanaCast.Cast.S. MicheleS. Michele
Cusiano
MezzanaMezzanaTermenago
CastelloMenas
Strombiano
CelentinoComasine
Fucine
Fraviano
Cortina
Pizzano
StavelVelon
Passo del Tonale
SozzineValbione
Ponte di Legno
Zoanno
Precasaglio
Pezzo
S. ApolloniaCase di Viso
Cippo Alpini
S. CaterinaValfurva
Celledizzo
Cogolo
Peio Paese
Peio Fonti
S.
Piazzola
R a b b iSomrabbi
Coler
S. Micheleall’Adige
MadonCampig
PC
S. Antoniodi Mavignola
Bedole
Direzione Bolzano
Fontanino
Marilleva900
DaolasaDaolasa
CostaRotian
Ortisè
ForteStrino
Passo Gavia
) (
Corno dei Tre Signori
3359
P.ta S. Matteo3684
M. Vioz3644
M. Cevedale3769
RifugioDoss dei Cembri
C.ma Presena3068 C.ma Presanella
3556
) (
C.ma Vegaia2890
M.ga Campo
M. Vigo2144
Malé
MastellinaDeggiano
M.ga Cercen
) (
GhiacciaioPresena
M.ga Stableti
M.ga Mare
M.ga Stablasolo
Folg
M. Spolverino2093
Roncio
Magràs
Rabbi Fonti
V A
Va
l d
Va
l di P
ei o
Va
l d
e l
a M
are
V a l l e d
e l Mo n t e
V a l V e r mi g l i o
Va l S t r i n o
Val
Pres
ena
P r e s a n e l l a
Va
l P
i an
a
V a l
Ce
rc
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Ad
am
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P A R C O N A Z I O N A L ED E L L O S T E L V I O
P A R C O N AA D A M E L L O
4
Direzione Direzione BolzanoBolzano
Direzione Direzione TrentoTrento
Lago S.Giustina Lago di Tavon
Lago di Coredo
Lago di Tovel
T. Rabbies
Fium
e Noce
F. Noce
F. No
ce
F. N
oce
L. di Andalo
Clés
Croviana
CaldesCaldes
Cavizzana
Dimaro
MonclassicoMonclassico
TerzolasTerzolas
PondasioPondasio
Bolentina
Montes
resson
Carciato
SamoclevoPracornoPracorno
S. Giacomo
Cassana
TozzagaTozzaga
Castel Caldes
BordianaBordiana
Bozzana P.te P.te MostizzoloMostizzolo
Caltron
Mechel
PianoAlmazzago
a
OssanaCast.S. Michele
Mezzana
Tassé
BernardoCis
Preghena
Livo
Mione Tregiovo
Varollo
B r e s i m oBevia
Cagnò
Banco
Casez Malgolo
Salter
Revò
RomalloRomeno
Don
Amblar
Dambel
Cloz
Cavareno
SarnonicoBrezArsio
Seio
Ruffrè
Ronzone
MaloscoFondo
Vasio
Passo MendolaMendelpass
Sanzeno
Coredo
Tavon
Dermulo
Rallo
Segno
TorraPortolo
Pavillo
Tassullo
Tuenno
SmaranoSfruz
Tres
Vervò
Nanno
Taio
Terres
Flavon
CunevoMollaro Priò
Dardine
Toss
Vigo di Ton
Denno
Ton
Roverédella Luna
TermonQuetta
Dercolo
Crescino
Lover
Campodenno
Sporminore
Spormaggiore
Le Seghe
Mezzolombardo
Mezzocorona
CavedagoFai della
Paganella
S. MicheleS. Micheleall’Adigeall’Adige
Faedo
PinetaMasetto
La Rocchetta
na di glio
P.sso CampoCarlo Magno
SantuarioS. Romedio
Direzione Val d’Ultimo
Direzione Merano
Direzione Direzione BolzanoBolzano
Daolasa
CostaCostaRotianRotian
M.ga Bordolona
Castel Bragher
Castel Nanno
Castel Thun
Castel Belasi
Castello di Altaguardia
Castel Valer
Castel Terres
Castello Corona
Castel Belfort
Castellodi Montereale
Castel S, Gottardo
MaléMalé
o
RifugioGraffer
C.ma Grostè2897
C.ma Brenta2580
M. Peller2319
Sasso Rosso2645
M.ga FlavonaPietra Grande
2936
) (
Lauregno
Proves
R u m o
ArnagoM.Roen
2116
L. SmeraldoCanyon
garida
MagràsMagràs
Vidè Castel Cles
A22
A22
A22
LD
I
S
O
L
E
di R
ab
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Va
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el e
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Va
l d
i T o
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Va l d i B r e s i m o
Gr
up
po
di
Br
en
ta
A T U R A L E B R E N T A
5
to Cles,Trento
Bolzano
6
The capital of the Val di Sole has very ancientand possibly even Roman origins. There is
written evidence dating back to 1178 of its statusas a pieve, or ecclesiastical unit the church ofwhich included a baptistery servingthe surrounding area, although thisstatus was probably established inthe last centuries of the first millen-nium. Malé is important as a centrefor business and tourism and as atransport hub since the Trento-MaléRailway was opened in 1909. It hasan ‘urban’ layout that is very unusualfor the valleys of the Alps. TheChurch of the Assunta is in thecentre of the town, in a square usedfor centuries as a parvise, or churchforecourt, and cemetery. Beyond anarrow shrine to Saint Valentine ris-es the Romano-Gothic façade of the church ofthe pieve.The renaissance porch with its graceful columnsdates from 1531. In the three-naved interior, thewalls and presbytery are decorated with frescoesby the Verona painter Pino Casarini, who paintedthe stations of the cross in 1932. The two altarsflanking the presbytery are classical examples ofVal di Sole baroque. The left-hand altar containsan altarpiece of the Birth of the Blessed Virginpainted in 1614 by Martin Teofilo Polacco. Thepulpit dating from 1670 by Giandomenico Bezzi isalso striking.The left-hand nave holds the impres-sive baptismal font that for centuries served thetowns and villages of the lower valley, includingthe Val di Rabbi. The 18th-century Church ofSan Luigi (Tel. + 39 0463 901192), which hasbeen incorporated into the current seat of theComunità (local authority) of the Val di Sole, lies
in the western outskirts of Malé. It was originallyconsecrated to Saint John of Nepomuk, who waspopularly worshiped as a protector againstfloods.The 17th-century altar is the product of theworkshop of the Ramus family of skilled crafts-men.The Val di Sole Ethnographic Museum -Museo della Civiltà Solandra (Tel. +39 0463901780) is located to the east of the town. Ithouses a permanent exhibition of cultural tradi-tions and the world of work in the Val di Sole.Theskills of the carpenter, the blacksmith, the copper-smith, the weaver, and of farmers devoted to
grazing and tillage are all illustratednext to the dwelling places of gener-ations past in the Val di Sole. Displaysinclude a wide range of original toolsand reconstructions of working ar-eas. The stùa, or wood-panelledchamber typical of the valley, is lo-cated at the centre of the building.Another area of the museum is de-voted to the well-known mycologistand priest Giacomo Bresadola. Onthe edge of the town towards the‘Regazzini’ area favoured by walkers,the Segheria Veneziana, or water-powered sawmill, is open to the pub-lic. This wonderful complex dating
from 1770 was recently renovated and is used forsmall-scale timber jobs and more particularly foreducational purposes, since it provides importantinsights into the lives of the mountain peoples. Asegantino, or sawyer, shows tourists and studentshow the force of the waters of the River Noce isharnessed to work the mill, while giving practicaldisplays of woodcutting skills and producing smallwooden objects.
MALÉ. THE OLD QUARTER, WITHTHE CHURCH OF PIEVE AND THEVAL DI SOLE ETHNOGRAPHIC MUSEUM
La ‘Stua’ at the Museum
The Church of the Assunta
Malé
7
The lower reaches of the River Rabbiés in thePondàsio area have provided a suitable envi-
ronment for the work of millers and blacksmithssince the 13th century. An old forge, the FucinaMarinelli (tel. +39 0463.901780-349.5509702), isstill in operation, using the force of the water todrive its trip hammer and relying on traditionalmethods to work the iron.This is the last survivorin a long line of water-powered machinery in thearea. It remains in use thanks to a cooperativeagreement between its owners, the municipal au-thorities in Malé and the Val di Sole Centre ofStudies.The Church of Santi Egidio e Marco, further upthe road leading from Pondàsio to Magràs, is wellworth a visit. This 15th-century building boastsbeautiful wooden altars adorned with painting andgilding. Above Magràs the few buildings that makeup Arnàgo are huddled around the Chapel of SanRomedio, dating from 1628. The interior features
a 17th-century wooden statue of the saint sittingastride a bear. A Capuchin convent friary at thefoot of this hamlet was built in the early 20th cen-tury after a catastrophic fire destroyed the formerseat of the order in Malé in 1892. The complexhas been converted for use as a congress centreand reception facility for groups and families. Notfar away, surrounded by orchards, is the villageof Terzolàs.Among other attractions in the centreof the village is the noble residenceof the Malanotti family, known asthe Torraccia. Built at thebeginning of the 16thcentury, it featuresnotably jutting cor-ners and large fres-coed chambers.The late-baroquevillage church datesfrom 1801 (tel. +390463 901288) andcontains paintingsby local artists.Worthy of note insideare the altarpiece ofthe Blessed Virgin andChild with Saints, execut-ed in the 17th century byElia Naurizio, and the19th-century painting byDomenico Delpero ofthe bible story of Tobitand his son Tobiah. Further on lies Samoclévo, asmall village outside Caldés grouped around theChurch of San Vigilio.The ruins of the stronghold(Rocca) overlooking the town are of great histori-cal significance. Of the original building only thegapped curtain walls remain together with the im-posing square keep. Dating from before the 13thcentury, it guarded the imperial highway of the Valdi Sole, which ran above its modern counterpart.A road winding in broad bends leads up from Maléto the medieval villages of Bolentina and Montésat about 1200 m. Once the splendid countrysideand enchanting views have been taken in, the soli-tary 16th century Church of San Valentino is cer-tainly worth a visit.
JUST OUTSIDE MALÉMALÉ-SAMOCLEVO: KM. 4.5
MALÉ-BOLENTINA: KM. 5
The Rocca of Samoclevo
The Torraccia at TerzolasForge at Pondasio
8
Aroad leads along the even valley floor fromMalé in the direction of the Passo Tonale to
Croviana 1.5 km away. The village has a very longhistory and was an important centre in medievaltimes because it was here that the tithes paid by theinhabitants of the Val di Sole were collected for thePrince-Bishop of Trent. The Palazzo dei Pèzzen(named after a family of minor nobles who arrivedfrom the Valtellina in the 15th century at the time ofa mining boom) is located at the entrance to the vil-lage. Next to this stands the Church of San Giorgio(Tel. +39 0463 901192), one of the valley’s treasure-chests of art. It contains two very skilfully crafted17th-century wooden altars, one of which locatedin the family chapel of the Pèzzen, built and decorat-ed with frescoes in about 1613 by Elia Naurizio.From Croviana a lane leads through the meadowsto Monclàssico, 1.5 km away, another old villagewhose origins lie in the later Iron Age. The village
contains some noble residences, such as that of theValenti family, and medieval features such as thepòrteghi, (portico) The village houses are over-looked by the Church of San Vigilio (Tel. +39 0463974158), with its remarkable baroque altars. Mon-classico and Presson have in recent years earned na-tional fame as ‘villages of the artistic sundials’ thanksto the ‘Le Meridiane’ (the Sundials) cultural associa-tion that together with the municipality and otherbodies has been promoting a‘Sundial Week’ which sees fivenew works executed eachsummer. The year 2012 willbring the total of sundialscompleted to no fewerthan fifty. In associationwith the Val di Soletourist office, guided‘Sundial Tours’ are alsoavailable between Juneand September. Thestone crests on someof the doorways ofPressón bear witnessto the nobility of thefamilies who ownedthem. The village churchdates back to 1630 andcontains a side-chapel with awonderful baroque altar. Acrossthe River Noce lies Dimaro, a kilo-metre away, which is an importanttourist resort on the road forCampiglio and Val Rendena. La Casa del Dazio (cus-tom house), also the residence of the de Mazzis no-ble family, was an important stop-off for the pay-ment of excise duties. The Church of San Lorenzo(Tel. +39 0463 974118) contains late 15th-centuryfrescoes, skilfully rendered by the Baschènis, and giltwooden baroque altars. Recent restoration workhas revealed the real age of this early medieval site,already evident from a significant fragment of Car-olingian painting located over the door of the sac-risty. A walking tour of the town might finish in thesmall village of Carciàto, a peaceful farming centrenear Dimaro with its generously-sized homes and asmall church dating from the 15th to the 17th cen-turies.
AN UNUSUAL WALK: FROM CROVIANA TO DIMAROMALÉ-CARCIATO: KM. 5.5
Altar in the Church of San Lorenzo
The Custom House at DimaroThe Church of
San Lorenzo
9
Three bell-towers rise over the village ofCaldés. The oldest of these stands in the vil-
lage square and dates back to the13th century, like a sentry on thethoroughfare that divides thecentre in two. This is known asthe street ‘de la Vila’ (of themansion), as it contains the resi-dences once inhabited by thelocal rural nobility. The stonecrests and doorways are rem-nants of feudal times alsoevoked by the castle that ris-es at the eastern edge of thevillage. Castel Caldes todaybelongs to the AutonomousProvince of Trento and is cur-rently being restored. It wasbuilt in 1230 by Ribaldo daCagnò and expanded over thesucceeding centuries. Thisbranch of the da Cagnò familybecame the ‘da Caldes’ who lived in the castle un-til 1464, when it was inherited by the powerfuloverlords of Thun. The interior features largechambers, a long stone staircase and the famous‘Stanza di Olinda’ (Olinda’s room).There is an ad-joining chapel with frescoes of scenes from thelife of the Blessed Virgin commissioned by JohannArbogast, Graf von Thun and executed in 1629 byElia Naurizio.The Church of the San Rocco is lo-cated on the other side of the village. Built afterthe plague of 1510, it boasts admirable 17th-century wooden altars. Beyond the village isthe quiet ‘Còntre’ area, located on theright-hand bank of an unusually tranquilstretch of the River Noce.There followthe so-called villages of the ‘Capèle’:
Cassana is very near the road running throughthe valley, with its 15th-century Church of SanTommaso. Higher up is San Giacomo, once knownas Solàsna, with its solid rural dwellings andsplendid church (Tel. +39 0463 901515). The lat-ter contains two fine altars with wooden altar-pieces crafted by the Bezzi di Cusiano family ofskilled carvers of the 17th century, and some lateGothic statues, including one of Saint James. Bor-diana and Bozzana complete this series of villages.
On the other side of the valley liesCavizzana. Its Church of SanMartino (Tel. +39 0463 901515)has four admirable altars, pre-sumed to be the work of the
Ramus and Bezzi dynasties ofsculptors who ran their work-shops in the upper Val di Solein the 17th and 18th centuries.Near the River Noce (just be-yond the bridge, descendingleft along the cycle path) inCavizzana there is a fish farmmanaged by the Val di Sole an-gling association, where thetrout are bred that are laterreleased into the lakes andrivers of the valley.
CALDÈS: THREE CHURCHES AND A CASTLEMALÉ-CAVIZZANA, GOING THROUGH THE HAMLETS AROUND
CALDÉS: KM. 10.5
Castel Caldes
CavizzanaThe Church of San Giacomo
10
The Val di Rabbi offers the visitor some reallysplendid scenery. In this side-valley of the Val di
Sole human beings and nature achieved a degree ofharmony that is still clearly visible today. The roadleading into the valley starts between Malé and Ter-zolas and winds for 19 km between mountains thathave retained their wild and rugged look. Conifer-ous forests grow all around the small villages, andwater runs everywhere amid thousands of scat-tered masi, or rural dwellings. Culturally closer toTyrol than Trentino, and shaped by colonisation inmedieval times, the Val di Rabbi was settled from the13th century on by the inhabitants of the nearby vil-lages of the Val di Sole, as it was seen as a preciousresource both for its high Alpine pasturelands andtimber for building.The dialect spoken has retainedits archaic forms and traditional culture is well-pre-served here. Historically the main centres of habita-tion are Pracorno, San Bernardo and Piazzola, butthere is a great number of smaller villages and ham-lets where one of the most striking features of thislandscape can be seen: hundreds of masi dot themeadows and provide a visual correlative for the
idea of a culture that has managedto combine beauty and function-
ality. The church in San Bernardo is of recent con-struction (Tel. +39 0463 985126) but blends per-fectly with its surroundings, conserving sacredworks dating from the 15th to the 18th centuries.A few kilometres on are the notable hot springs, orTerme, (Tel. +39 0463 983000) famous for the cura-tive properties of their waters since the early 17thcentury. Behind the spa complex stands an 18th-century water-powered ‘Venetian’ sawmill.This areais part of the Stelvio National Park (Tel. +39 0463746121). Other noteworthy sights in the park in-clude the Dairy–Museum of Somrabbi, which dis-plays the instruments traditionally used for makingdairy products, and the Stablet Visitor Centre, only
ten minutes’ walk from the Malga (alpine dairy) ofStablasolo and easily reachable in summer thanks toa special shuttle bus service.The centre serves as aninformation point devoted exclusively to the mar-mot, a real star of this park. Near the car park Co-ler, right in the heart of the nature reserve, there isa very original play area that is perfect for children.The Mulino Ruatti mill complex is situated at thebeginning of the valley, just before the village of Pra-corno. Built at the beginning of the 19th century andrecently restored, it displays both the mill machin-ery and strikingly reconstructed 19th-century inte-riors, with a stua or chamber completely lined inwood panels, kitchen, numerous other rooms and ofcourse an entrance courtyard, the milling area, theanimal shed, and the cellar. The old spleuza, or hayloft, has been converted and fitted out with modernconference and exhibition facilities.
OLD AND NEW
IN THE VAL DI RABBIMALÉ-SOMRABBI-RABBI SPA -RAGAIOLO: KM. 20
Rural dwellings in Valorz
The Spa Centre
The Venetian sawmill
11
Situated in the mid-valley, the municipality ofCommezzadura includes a group of very old vil-
lages, some pre-Roman and others medieval: Deg-giano, Mastellina, Mestriàgo, Almazzàgo and Piano,each proud possessor of its own church.The mostimportant among these is the church of Santa Agata(Tel. 39 0463 974174) situated only a short distancefrom the main road running through the valley. Itdates from the late 15th century and has an asym-metrical layout. A large fresco of Saint Christopherexecuted in 1495 faces out towards the road. Fres-coes of biblical figures and the story of Saint Agatha,the patron of the church, decorate the presbyteryand apse.These are the work of Simone Baschènis,who belonged to a family of itinerant painters of the15th-16th centuries. Recent restoration has re-vealed a noteworthy 13th century painting on thesouthern facade of the building.There are also threefine gilt carved wooden altars by Giovanni BattistaRamus and Simone Lenner. The little Church of SanAntonio Abate stands in Mastellina. Its late 15thcentury frescoes are also by the Baschènis familyand a beautiful altar with statues of the Blessed Vir-gin, Saint Anthony and Saint John the Baptist datingfrom the 15th century are by the school of Narcisoof Bolzano. A short distance from the church standsthe residence of the Guardi family who were mem-
bers of the rural nobility, as can be seen from thecrest above the entrance doorway. The family be-came famous for its artists: Gianantonio, Maria Ce-cilia (who married the famous Venetian painter Gio-vanni Battista Tiepolo) and Francesco. They reset-tled to Venice where they opened an art studio.Francesco met with success as a painter with hisworks which depicted the Lagoon and scenes fromthe life of the city in the 18th century. Piano is thelast village of the Commezzadura municipality.The village church of San Giuseppe boastsan interesting canvass of the Virgin of theSorrows with scenes from the Passion ofChrist (also portraying the patron ofthe work) painted by Stefan Kessler in1666. A couple of kilometres fur-ther along this road is Mezzana, awinter and canoeing resort. Itschurch conserves fine 17th-century altars (Tel. +39 0463751138). About twentyminutes above Mezzanalies Róncio, with viewsover the valley andmountains.The chapelof this tiny and almostuninhabited village isconsecrated to SaintsRomedius and Barbara.Its highly ornate altar, bythe Ramus and Bezzi fami-lies of artists, dates fromthe 17th century. From Róncio the heights of themountains can be reached, with their masi, or ruraldwellings,‘the heirs of solitude’. Right opposite Ron-cio, and on the other side of the valley, stand themodern buildings of the Marilleva 900 resort, the fi-nal stop on the Trento-Malé electric railway.Launched in 2007, a futuristic cable-car serving theimportant skiing facilities higher up on the slopes ofthe Val Mastellina leaves from the station in the littlevillage of Daolasa, a short distance from the townhall. An intermodal connection on the valley floorallows skiers to alight from the train, immediatelyboard the cable car and soon reach the Folgarida-Marilleva-Madonna di Campiglio skiing areas withno less than 108 km of slopes, surrounded by thestunning scenery of the Brenta Dolomites.
THE HEART OF THE VALLEY: SANT’AGATA IN COMMEZZADURAMALÉ-MEZZANA: KM. 10.5
The Church of Sant’Agata
Mastellina
The Church at Mezzana
12
The Val di Sole features only three castles - thoseof Caldes, Samoclevo and Ossana - evidence of
the strong tradition of independence among theinhabitants of the valley and the careful watch keptby the Prince-Bishops of Trent over these border-
lands of their dominions. Restorationwork on the fascinating and ruinedCastello di San Michele di Ossana is
almost complete and it willsoon be open to the
public. The pres-ent structuredates from thebeginning ofthe 15th cen-tury when thede Federicis,feudal over-lords from theVal Camonica,completely re-built it. Butthere wasmention of acastle on thissite from as
early as 1191 and recent archaeological studieshave indeed uncovered both Bronze Age imple-ments and others from the Early Middle Ages.Ruled over by the bishops from 1004 on, it wasgranted to various feudal overlords, including thede Federicis from the early 15th century, the Hey-dorfs and later the Bertellis. For some time, be-tween the 19th and 20th centuries Bertha von Sut-tner, who received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1905,was the co-owner of this castle. Soon to beopened to the public, it is magnificently situated ona rocky spur that serves as its base and makes it all
but inaccessible from three sides.The quadrangularkeep is a landmark for the whole upper Val di Sole.In medieval times the village of Ossana was apieve, or ecclesiastical unit the church of which in-cluded a baptistery serving the surrounding area.The church of San Vigilio (Tel. 39 0463 751203) inthe village boasts a facade with a Renaissanceporch, while inside both the main altar and the pul-pit are the work of the Ramus family of sculptors,who together with the Lenners and Bezzis consti-tuted important schools of wood sculptors in thevalleys around the River Noce.The baroque altar-pieces that today adorn many churches werecarved and gilded in their workshops. The so-called ‘house of the frescoes’ in the old quarter ofOssana contains hidden artistic treasures discov-ered only a few years ago, with a range of sacredand lay art including scenes of courtly life datingfrom the 15th century. The house is in need ofcareful restoration and is not at present open tothe public. An outlying area of Ossana still bearsthe name of Fucine (‘forges’): a good deal of theiron ore extracted in the Val di Sole was smeltedhere and then worked by the Lombard craftsmenwho settled in the environs and even had an influ-ence on the local dialect.A little to the east of thetown, on the hill of Tomino, stands the 18th centu-ry church of San Antonio, and below it the formercemetery of the Austro-Hungarian War.This is theburial place of 1400 soldiers who perished on theTonale front during World War I. The flat areabearing the monument to the Austro-HungarianImperial Mountain Infantry by Othmar Schrott-Vorst (1917) has been renamed the Park of Peaceas a mark of friendship between nations.The Val Piana area is an easy walk from Ossana.The views are impressive, with the peaks of theOrtles-Cevedale group to the north (includingMonte Vioz 3645 m), while off to the south MonteGìner (2955 m) can be seen, a continuation of thePresanella group.For some years now Ossana has been hosting top-level cultural and tourist events. In summer awood sculpting competition draws artists from allover Italy while in winter there is a huge show ofall sorts of cribs along the streets and entrancehallways of the village, visited by over ten thousandpeople each year.
THE CASTELLO DI OSSANA
AND THE PARK OF PEACEMALÉ-OSSANA: KM. 16.5
The Castle of San Michele
The Church of San Vigilio
13
The most important piece of sacred architecturein the valley, the church of the Natività di Santa
Maria di Pellizzano (Tel. 39 0463 751138) is to befound in Pellizzano on the River Noce.The churchis located in an area of the village filled with LateMedieval and Renaissance architecture, includingnoble residences with their crests set over stonedoorways. Its frescoes were executed by succes-sive generations of the Baschenis family of artistswho were active between 1470 and 1533 and cov-er both the porch and the walls of the entrance.The most striking area of the church is made up ofthe five altars finely sculpted and gilded by SimoneLenner and Giovanni Battista Ramus.At the top ofthe left-hand nave stands the Altar of the Disci-plinati with a fresco by Cipriano Vallorsa (1571)showing the local disciplinary confraternity of theCompagnia dei Battuti and a Blessed Virgin andChild flanked by Saints Vigilius and Anthony. Thechurch of Pellizzano is filled with precious sacredart: reliquaries, a wooden gateway by Lenner dat-ing from 1626, the Stations of the Cross by KarlHenrici completed in 1782, as well as chalices andprocessional crosses.An impressive bell-tower ris-es over the exterior of the church where a beauti-ful wrought iron gate encloses a LateMedieval Blessed Virgin and Child,also known as the ‘Madonna ofthe Drowned’ and the stuff ofmuch legend. Six kilometresfrom Pellizzano the roadtwists and bends before ar-riving at the scenic Lake ofCaprioli di Fazzón (1301m), starting point for themore demanding hikes in-to the mountains around.The visitor centre of the
‘Malga bassa’ (Alpine dairy) just before the lake iswell worth a visit, allowing young and old to dis-cover the flora and fauna of the mountains and toplay with the goats in their enclosure. The trailleading to the lake also offers plenty of opportuni-ties to delve into the secrets of the wood thanksto a number of explanatory panels. A series of tra-ditional villages are scattered along the oppositeside of the valley, in the sun, well-connected byroad with the valleyfloor.The first of theseis Claiàno, with its oc-tagonal 18th centurychapel. Next is Ter-menàgo with oneGothic and one neo-classical church. Higherup again is the villageof Castello, with its15th-century churchof San Donato. Ortisé(1479 m) is the birthplace of the well-known mycologistDon Giacomo Bre-sadola (1847-1929). A portion of his writings isconserved in the Val di Sole Ethnographic Museum- Museo della Civiltà Solandra in Malé.A statue tothe memory of this world-famous scientist can beseen near the chapel of San Cristoforo, whichboasts three altars sculpted by the Bezzi family inthe late 17th century.The highest village is Menàs(1517m), with just a few houses grouped aroundits modest church containing the oldest bell in theVal di Sole, dating from 1441.The mountain over-
looking this group of villages is an oasis ofquiet, offering splendid views. Anyone
with time on their hands is ad-vised to hike towards the Malga
Monte (Alpine diary), alongthe trail for Val di Rabbi overthe Passo Valletta (m 2684),or towards the MalgaPozze (Alpine dairy), ringedby peaks rising to almost3000 metres.
A HIDDEN JEWEL: THE CHURCH
OF SANTA MARIA DI PELLIZZANO
MALÉ-PELLIZZANO: KM. 15; PELLIZZANO-MENÀS: KM. 7
The Church of Santa Maria in Pellizzano
Church of Santa Maria - Interior
Located inside the municipality of Ossana, thevillage of Cusiano has ancient origins. Indeed,
Bronze Age remains were discovered a little abovethe village on the hill of Dos Casteler in the 1970s.A beautiful little church consecrated to SantaMaria Maddalena (Tel. 39 0463 751203) stands inthe centre of the village. Just before the church isan unusual chapel in the form of an open shrine toSaint Roch, protector against the plague. It con-tains a cycle of frescoes painted at the end of the15th century by Giovanni and Battista Baschènis,Lombard artists originally from Averara in the up-per Val Brembana (Bergamo). Using captions writ-ten on panels in 15th-century Italian, they tell invery popular style the story of Mary Magdalene
and her relations Lazarus andMartha.The keys of the rib vaulted
ceiling are decorated with
the crests of Trento, the Tyrol and the noble deFederici family of Ossana, lords of the Castello diSan Michele. Beyond Cusiano in the direction ofthe Passo Tonale is the turnoff for the Val di Pejo.From here the road climbs the left-hand side ofthe valley to Comàsine, once famous for its richiron mines. From the little village a side road leadsto a flat area that serves as the atmospheric set-ting for the church of Santa Lucia (Tel. 39 0463754042), towering over an old cemetery and withviews of the high peaks around.The building origi-nally contained three sumptuous altars dating fromthe 15th-16th centuries, possibly donated by thelocal miners. These are now relocated to thechurch of San Matteo in the centre of the village.Back on the mainroad through thevalley, the next vil-lage is Celledizzo.The chapel ofSant’Antonio (Tel.39 0463 754042),adjacent to thebell-tower of theparish church, isentirely decorat-ed with frescoesby the Baschènisdating from 1473.Almost next tothe main village isthe smaller areaof Cógolo,with its old church of Santi Filippo e Giaco-mo, with noteworthy external adornments repre-senting the passion of Christ. Nearby is the nobleresidence of the Migazzi family. Originally fromLombardy, they settled in the village in the mid15th century.The best known member of the no-ble family was Cardinal Cristoforo (1714-1803),bishop of Vienna for 46 years. On the road to theMalga Mare (Alpine dairy), which is the point ofdeparture for hikes to the Ortles-Cevedale group,stands the little church of Pegaja, dating from be-fore 1500, all that remains of the village of thesame name, possibly destroyed by a landslide in the15th century. The external wall shows SaintChristopher, patron of travellers and protectoragainst sudden death.
THE PICTORIAL CYCLE OF SANTAMARIA MADDALENA IN CUSIANOMALÉ-CUSIANO-COMÀSINE-PEGAJA: KM. 27.5
The Church of Santa Maria in Cusiano
14
The Church of Santa Lucia in Comasine
15
The village of Pejo is well worth a visit. Of prehis-toric origin, it forms a wonderful natural balcony
with views that stretch as far as the Brenta Group.The Area Faunistica (Wildlife Park - Tel. 39 0463753106) is located on the way into the village andallows the visitor close encounters with the peace-ful inhabitants of the Stelvio National Park, includ-ing deer and roe deer.The golden eagle and beard-ed vulture can also be glimpsed, with their longgliding flight, especially from the foot of Monte Vióz(m 3645), reachable by cable-car and part of thesnowy Ortles-Cevedale massif. The recentlyopened Museo della Guerra Bianca ‘Pejo 1914-1918: la guerra sulla porta’ (Museum of the ‘WhiteWar’ Pejo 1914-1918: the War at Our Doorstep -Info Tel. 39 348 7400942) is located in Pejo Paeseand features a collection of books, war memorabil-ia, documents, photographs, weapons, stories of lifeas lived by the soldiers at high altitude and by thecivilian population stricken by war. A few minutesoutside the village is the tree-covered Dosso di SanRocco, with its 16th century chapel to patron ofplague victims (Saint Roch) and the cemetery forthe Austro-Hungarian War dead. Here lie over ahundred soldiers of various nationalities, who per-ished in the battles on the nearby front where thefamous ‘White War’ was fought as part of the larg-er world conflict (1914-1918). A grey stone pyra-mid was built in 1916 and stands as a warningagainst wars of any kind. Recently moved to thiscemetery are the remains of some Austro-Hungari-an soldiers who died on the slopes of Monte SanMatteo (3684 m) during the course of two terriblebattles fought there in the autumn of 1918 whenthe war was virtually over. Every year a very atmos-pheric ceremony commemorates the victims ofthis and all other wars. From Dosso San Rocco, theruins can be seen at the mouth of the Val del
Monte of a fort dating from the early 20th century.This is Forte Barba di Fior, which can easily bereached from the road leading up to the Pian Palùdam. A path branches off from the road and leadsacross the River Noce before winding up to theenormous military structure. Pejo is more than justwar memories, however: the church of San Giorgiocontains beautiful carved and gilded wooden altarsthe largest of which dates from the sixteenth cen-tury and is attributed to the workshop of Narcisoof Bolzano.The bell-tower boasts a huge fresco ofSaint Christopher executed by the Baschènis familyin 1484. Nearby the caseificio turnario or coopera-tive dairy, the last of its kind in Trentino, is alwaysready to delight the palate of visitors with its but-ter and cheese made with the milk of cows, sheepand goats. Pejo Fonti is a well-known summer andwinter resort, famous for its thermal baths whichhave drawn visitors since the 17th century and areopen all year round. The Malga Talè (Alpine dairy)is a comfortable 3 km walk from Pejo and has beenrecently renovated. It is home to an a original futur-istic themed tour completely given over to thegrouse family of birds (which includes woodgrouse, black grouse, partridge) and their complexstrategies for adapting to the environment.This in-stallation is the first of its kind in Europe using HighDefinition 3D technology. Back in Cogolo, theheadquarters of the Stelvio National Park and thechurch of Santi Filippo e Giacomo are worth a visit.The entire facade of the church is covered by afresco executed in 1643 by Giovanni Angelo Valorsawith scenes from the Passion of Christ.The villageof Celledizzo, situated a little lower down, has abrand new Museo del Legno – Museum of Wood,housed in an old saw mill.Also of note is Comasine,on the other side of the valley, with its solitarychurch of Santa Lucia and wonderful century-oldlarches. Not to be missed is Casa Grazioli (Info.:Tel.39 0463 754345) in the little village of Strombiano,which has been preserved in its 19th-century state.This humble but dignified country house, with itscharacteristic wood-panelled stùa and kitchenblackened by smoke is set at the centre of the Eco-museo Val di Pejo ‘Piccolo mondo alpino’ (Val di Pe-jo Eco-museum ‘Little Alpine World’), an importantproject that aims to recount the life and culture ofthis mountain valley.
SIGNS OF A DIFFICULT
PAST IN PEJOMALÉ-PEJO-FORTE BARBA DI FIOR: KM. 32.5
The cemetery of San Rocco
16
Tonale is the oldest place name in the valley aswitnessed by a ‘capitulary’ (legal act) emanated
by Charlemagne in 774. The pass is watchedover by the old hospice of San Bar-tolomeo, now converted as a hotel. Itsbell-tower offered guidance to losttravellers and for centuries markedthis historical border crossing. Thefrontier was the place of fierce con-flict between Italian and Austro-Hungarian forces during World WarI, but as early as 1860 the Imperialgovernment had begun construct-ing a defence system that includedForte Pozzi Alti (or Presanella), ForteVelón, Forte Mèro, Forte Strino andForte Zaccarana. Arranged in a pincer-shape and well armed, they served theirpurpose well and stood up to battle. Infact, it was less the war itself than the so-called recuperanti (local scrap dealers in the post-war period) who ruined them.The most famous ofthem is Forte Strino (Tel. 39 0463 758200), whichsince 1998 has housed an exhibition and researchcentre of crucial importance to the history ofWorld War I in Trentino. From the Passo Tonale itis possible to reach the Preséna glacier by cable-car (Tel. 39 0364 92066), where skiing continuesthrough to June.A little under 10 km from the pass lies Vermiglio, avillage whose entire population was deported toAustria in August 1915 and which had to be rebuiltafter being destroyed in bombardments. Thechurch of Santo Stefano (Tel. 39 0463 758139)contains a 17th-century wooden polychrome al-tarpiece from the workshop of the Ramus family.The walls of the nave are adorned with the can-vasses of a contemporary and original Stations of
the Cross, which tells in pictures the story of Ver-miglio.The outlying hamlets of Pizzano and Cortinahuddle around their respective churches.The littlechurch of Santa Caterina, on the other hand, hasstood alone on the hill of the same name since the15th century.The nearby Casa del Dazio (Customs House)dates from the same period. It was here that theofficials of the Prince-Bishop of Trent levied exciseduties.The new Museo della Guerra – War Museum (Tel.39 0463 758200) absolutely must be visited.
Housed within the complex of the VermiglioCultural Centre, its displays include
weapons and the personal equipmentcarried by the soldiers, the special im-plements used in mountain war and agreat number of photos and docu-ments. This precious war memora-bilia comes from the collection puttogether by Emilio Serra, an enthu-siastic local collector of objects and
accounts relating to World War I.The Museum was originally foundedin 1967 in the historic Albergo Alpino.In 2006 Emilio’s heirs - his wife Pina
and son Achille – launched a joint initia-tive with the local municipality to providenew display spaces for the collection.Themuch larger facility allows the full wealth
of the collection to be appreciated. The museumimmediately captures the imagination of its numer-ous visitors, offering them a moving insight intothe people and places that made up this difficultmoment in history.
ON THE BORDERLANDS
OF TRENTINO: THE PASSO TONALEMALÉ-TONALE: KM. 33
Forte Strino
A ‘show’ at Forte Strino
The Presena Glacier
17
Thanks to its excellent transport network,Trentino-Alto Adige offers an endless choice of
day outings by car. Several destinations are alsoserved by rail, with Trentino Trasporti (Tel. 39 0463901150) trains running along the Marilleva 900-Malé-Trento line and the Trenitalia national service(Call Centre 892021) departing Mezzocorona.Journeys range from shorter excursions to hun-dred-kilometre trips in the case of the more dis-tant destinations. But whatever the journey time,the effort is amply repaid by the variety and cultur-al wealth on offer: South Tyrol, including Bolzanowith its archaeological and modern art museumsamong others, and shopping centre; Merano, theoriginal power base from which the influence ofthe Tyrol spread; and further off, Bressanone, seatof the Prince-Bishops. The outdoor museum ofTeodone, near Brunico, provides a detailed insightinto the culture of the Alps in centuries past.The centre and south of Trentino are also filledwith interesting sights:Trento, capital for eight cen-turies of the Prince-Bishopric, and Rovereto, with a
marked Venetian influence in the 15th and 16thcenturies and a Modern and Contemporary ArtMuseum (MART) that has won it world renown.The side valleys branching out from the Adige, in-cluding the Val di Cembra or Val Rendena, are per-haps less notable but still have plenty of naturalsights to delight the tourist. Enthusiasts of popularculture should visit the MUCGT folk museum inSan Michele all’Adige, with its displays reflectingthe traditional life of Trentino in times gone by.Thewine cellars of the Piana Rotaliana and the fruitstores in the valleys around the River Noce are al-so certainly worth a visit.And then of course thereis Castel Thun, waiting to reveal the luxuriousworld of a great noble family.When starting out from the Val di Sole to exploreTrentino, the important thing is to bear in mindthe bigger picture of the region with its long past,that has proudly managed to combine life and his-tory, culture and art, religious worship and work,achieving harmony between human beings and na-ture.
Five kilometres after crossing the breath-takingMostizzòlo bridge comes Clés, the administra-
tive centre of Val di Nòn. The little town boastsvery ancient origins (its name seems to come from“ecclesiae”, i.e. churches).In 1869, digging a little to the north of Cles, abronze plate was discovered, with a decree by theRoman Emperor Claudio (from Baia by Naples, 46d. C.) confirming some privileges and the Romancitizenship to the Valley’s inhabitants (called Anàu-ni).Today Clés is a lively trading centre, with sometourist accommodations, set amidst intensive fruitgrowing lands. The little town offers three attrac-tions: a castle, which cannot be visited inside, - in aposition overlooking the lake - dating back to the12th Century and inhabited by the noble Cléshouseholds (whose most famous member wasBernardo, Prince-Bishop of Trent from 1514 to1539, and for a long time Prime Minister of KingFerdinand from Habsburg); the castle boasts largehalls and some remains of remarkable paintings.The Parish church, dating back from the early 16th
century, is the second attraction. Built in typicalCles Gothic, the church is characterised by an in-teresting reticulate vault; on the right-hand wall ofthe nave there is the gravestone of Giorgio Clésdating from 1490.The third interesting destinationis the Palazzo Assessorile, reportedly existing asearly as in 1356; it was rebuilt and frescoed duringthe 16th Century; the interior has many frescoedpainted rooms, probably by Fogolino (1480-1540).A little downhill from the little town you’ll find theLake of St. Giustina, a large artificial pond built forhydroelectric production (7.5km long and 1.5km large: the lakehas a capacity of172 million cubicmetres water,whose power isharnessed by theTaio powerstation).Four kilometresafter leaving Clés,you’ll get to Tuenno (afruit growing centre,boasting a peculiar double church dedicated toSant’ Orsola); a 11 km side road goes down to theLake of Tóvel. Just before turning into the valley,where the torrent Tresénga flows, you’ll see the16th Century gothic church of St. Emerenzianatowering above a rocky cliff.Val di Tóvel winds up among the steep slopes ofMount Peller-Castellazzo and Cima Vallina to theNorth, and the cliffs of the northern walls of theBrenta range. In the mid part of the valley, over 17km long, lies the Tovel lake (1 km long and almost600 m large, at 1178 m above sea level).The lake iswell known because of the reddening of its water,due to a local micro-organism. Unfortunately, theheavy anthropical presence in the area has broughtabout the loss of this peculiar feature. However,the lake remains a magnificent example of lake en-vironment, reflecting fir trees and the Brenta cliffs.This area is one of the favourite habitats of thebrown bear, that is being reintroduced with someindividuals coming from Slovenia.
The Cles Castle
FROM CLÉS TO TÓVEL, KINGDOM OF THE BROWN BEAR
MALÉ-TÓVEL: KM. 32
FERROVIA TRENTO-MALÉ TO CLES - BY COACH TO TOVEL
Palazzo Assessorile in Cles
The Tóvel lake
18
19
Castel Thun (Tel. 39 0461 657816) is a treasure-chest of art and history, a sumptuous noble
residence reopened to the public on 17 April2010 after two decades of restoration by the Au-tonomous Province of Trento as part of the sameMuseum project as the Castello del Buoncon-siglio.Standing on a hill (609 m) overlooking the villageof Vigo di Ton in an extraordinarily scenic setting,its terraces offer glimpses of dozens of castlesalong the Val di Non.This is an imposing example of Tridentine castlearchitecture, encircled with towers, bastions,moats and a chemin de ronde.
The originally medieval complex today bears themarks of its 16th-century rebuilding.The impres-sive Porta spagnola (Spanish Gate, 1566) leads tothe drawbridge and first courtyard, beyond whichstands the entranceway to the noble residence inRenaissance-Gothic style, flanked by turrets andrising four floors, each richly decorated and fur-nished in styles ranging from the Middle Ages tothe 20th century.Among the many chambers, the ‘Bishop’s Room’is outstanding,entirely panelledas it is in SwissPine with a cof-fered ceiling anda monumentaldoorway bearingthe date 1574, al-though thechamber itselfdates from 1670.The castle is firstmentioned in1267, as the resi-dence of the daTono family,whose name wass u b s e q u e n t l yGermanised toThun. The familywere great collec-tors and as a resultthe castle has a huge range of artworks, fromfamily portraits to paintings with sacred andmythological themes, as well as landscapes andstill lives by both Italian and foreign masters. Theoriginal furnishings are also extraordinary withartefacts from right across Europe, maiolicastoves and silverware.The chapel of San Giorgio is also well worth visit-ing, painted between the end of the 15th and be-ginning of the 16th century with Episodes fromthe Life of Saint Barbara and Judgement Day. Asindeed are the old and new kitchens, the bakery,the ‘Ancestral Chamber’, the dining room, ar-moury, guardroom, and the 16th century loggiawith cannons and a large collection of carriagesand sleighs.
CASTEL THUNFROM MALÉ: KM. 31
Castel Thun
Castel Thun by night
Inside Castel Thun
20
Clés is reached after crossing the deep gorge ofMostizzòlo by way of a breathtaking bridge
set 85 metres over the river. Beyond the town isthe Santa Giustina dam, soaring 152 metres andthe highest in Europe at the time of its comple-tion in 1951. A little further on is the town ofDermùlo and from here the road for the UpperVal di Non leads to Sanzéno.This was the place where three evangelists wereburned in the year 397 – the so-called AnaunianMartyrs, Saints Sisinius, Martyrius and Alexander,who had set out from Cappadocia on their mis-sionary journey. A Renaissance-Gothic ‘basilica’was built at the site of their death, as well as a se-ries of chapels dating from medieval times.A sign-
post in the centre ofSanzéno points the way
to San Romédio (Tel.39 0463 830133)from the porch ofthe little church ofSanta Maria, datingfrom the year1000. The roadruns along thegorge of the RioSan Romédio andreaches the foot ofthe cliff on whichthe sanctuary was
built after about three kilo-metres. The sanctuary has acomplex history, with succes-sive buildings raised over a pe-
riod of nine hundred years. The ‘chapel of therelics’, the highest of these, features pre-Ro-manesque columns and medieval paintings. It wasprobably inhabited by the saint around the year
1000. Further chapels were then built in his hon-our on stepped levels descending the 70-metrerock spur.Notable among these is the church of SanMichele, built in 1514, while the chapel of SanGiorgio with its wonderful frescoes dates from1487.These buildings are grouped around the lit-tle Franciscan friary and a steep flight of steps.This secluded and spiritual place was famous inthe past, in part due to the bears that were tradi-tionally kept there since legendhad it that Saint Romediusused as his mount thebear that had eatenhis horse.Back on the mainroad, the itineraryleads on to Taiowhere a good road (1.7km) leads up to CastelBraghér, which is privatelyowned and not open to thepublic. This fascinating and well-preserved forti-fied complex is defended on three sides by natu-ral cliffs and is set in the midst of a forest of firs.The noble residence dates from the 13th centuryand in 1323 became part of the formidable hold-ings of the powerful Thun family.From here the main road leads to Coredo, whereCasa Marta’s display of popular costumes fromacross the world is well worth a visit, as is the15th-century Palazzo Nero, the court of the sur-rounding jurisdiction where witch trials wereheld in 1615.Back on the road for the upper Val di Non, thenext stop is the village of Fondo, at about 1000metres, offering an amazing view of Lago Smeral-do. In summertime the lake is a perfect place forrelaxing walks and in wintertime a skating venue.From here an atmospheric nature trail leadsalong a deep gorge cut into the rock, to which inrecent years the ‘Canyon Rio Sass’ has beenadded, an incredible adventure among rocks andfossils, deep mountain rapids and the fantastic‘Marmitte dei Giganti’ or natural hollows sculpt-ed into the rock by the action of the water.
The sanctuary of San Romedio
THE ALPINE SANCTUARY
OF SAN ROMÉDIOMALÉ-S. ROMÉDIO: KM. 28;
MALÉ-CASTEL BRAGHÉR-TRÉS: KM. 28
Castel Braghér
A brown bear
21
Trento (A.P.T. - Tourist Office: Tel. 39 0461216000) is easy to reach from the Val di Sole
even without a car thanks to the Trento-Malé-Ma-rilleva 900 light railway (Tel. 39 0463 901150). Thejourney takes about 80 minutes from Malé along apeaceful and interesting route through the lower Valdi Sole and all of the Val di Non, with dozens of vil-lages and old castles rendering this scenery unique.The 20 kilometres of this route running through theVal d’Adige are framed by the splendid vineyards ofthe Piana Rotaliana and the heights of Paganella(2125 m).Trento was a Roman municipium and im-portant vestiges of this period remain, such as thesubterranean complex of Sass, which allows visitorsto walk along stretches of Roman streets and eveninspect the sewage system. The Porta Veronensisgateway is reached from the Museo Diocesano inPiazza del Duomo.There is little evidence of subse-quent rulers – the Ostrogoths, Lombards, Franks.The real life of the city began when, with its sur-rounding regions, it was made part of the Holy Ro-man Empire around the year 970, later becoming aPrince-Bishopric (from 1004 to 1802). The twospheres of influence, ecclesiastical and lay, whichruled side-by-side in this little Alpine state for 800years, were represented respectively by the Duomo(Cathedral, with the neighbouring Palazzo Pretorio)and the Castello del Buon Consiglio (Tel. 39 0461233770). It was in this fortified residence that thePrince Bishops lived from the 13th century on. Itscomplex layout is the result of various subsequentbuildings being added to an original pre-Ro-manesque nucleus.The Magno Palazzo, built on theorders of the prince and cardinal Bernardo Clesioduring the 16th century, was added to the old castleand the Giunta Albertiana followed in the late 17thcentury. Its interior houses a number of museumsand the so-called Lapidario collection of marbles in
its aristocratic chambers (known as camere orstùe). During the reign of Bernardo the rooms andchambers were amply decorated with frescoes exe-cuted by the brothers Dosso and Battista Dossi,Marcello Fogolino and Girolamo Romanino and theterracotta decoration of the sculptor Zaccaria Zac-chi.Worthy of separate attention in their own rightare the frescoed pictures of the Torre dell’Aquila, asplendid example of international Gothic architec-ture with its ‘Cycle of the Months’ painted by theBohemian maestro Venceslao around 1390. Thecathedral is set in the middle of the citycentre, a wonderful ex-ample of the work ofthe Lombard ComacineMaster Adamo d’Aro-gno and his sons. It hasits origins as the burialplace of the Bishop SaintVigilius in the 5th centu-ry but was continuallyrebuilt until it acquiredits 13th century shapeduring the reign of thePrince-Bishop Federico Van-ga.The exterior is dominated bya large bell-tower finished duringthe baroque period and by thenorthern rose window with its famous‘Wheel of Fortune’, as well as setting within thesquare.The interior has a severe linearity and man-ages to transmit a feeling of great serenity. Next tothe 18th-century ciborium (canopy) of the main al-tar is the entranceway to a subterranean chamberwhere the various building stages from the originalconstruction on can be traced more clearly. ThePalazzo Pretorio contains the sumptuous MuseoDiocesano (Diocesan Museum - Tel. 39 0461234419), with 16th-century Flemish tapestries andart treasures from the Cathedral. Many other fea-tures add to the beauty of the city: the churches ofSanta Maria Maggiore and San Lorenzo, the PiazzaFiera (or market square) and the Palazzo delle Al-bere, which now houses the Trento collection of theworld-famous MART (Museum of Modern andContemporary Art of Trento and Rovereto).
Piazza Duomo in Trento
TRENTO, THE CAPITAL
OF THE PRINCE-BISHOPRICMALÉ-TRENTO: KM. 60
FERROVIA TRENTO-MALÉ
The BuonconsiglioCastle
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The city of Bolzano forms a bridge between Ger-man and Italian culture, a place rich in art. The
magic atmosphere of its Christmas Market addscolours and scents to a fine and history-filled cen-tral square dedicated to the poet-traveller Walthervon der Vogelweide. There are many reasons forvisiting Bolzano, but naturally - since the city sprangto world fame with the discovery of the ‘SimilaunMummy’ in 1991 - one of them is the body of thisprehistoric hunter, armed with his axe, bow andquiver, wearing his straw-lined leather shoes. ‘Ötzithe Similaun Man’ is accommodated in a specialwing of the Museo archeologico di Bolzano(Bolzano Archaeological Museum: Tel. 39 0471320100) and draws thousands of visitors fascinat-ed by this man who emerged from the mistsof time. Of course Bolzano (A.P.T. - TouristOffice: Tel. 39 0471 307000) is more thanthis one mummy. It was a famous Romanmilitary outpost known as Pons Drusi, andlater a Bavarian dominion before coming un-der the rule of the Prince-Bishops of Trentin 1004, remaining under Tridentine rule forcenturies. Usurpations and donations latersaw Bolzano become part of the Tyrol, al-though it always preserved strong links withTrentino, and remained within its diocese.The oldest area of the city includes the Gothiccathedral of Maria Assunta in Piazza Walther, builtbetween the 12th and 14th centuries, with its beau-tiful bell-tower rising to 65 metres.The three navesinside contain artworks that date from the 15th tothe 20th centuries.The baroque main altar is a mas-terpiece of its kind. Not far from the cathedralstands the church of the Dominican friars whichdates from the end of the 13th century. Its interiorfeatures fine frescoes, including some in the style ofGiotto in the atmospheric chapel of San Giovanni,
which dates from 1340. Also very striking is thecloister frescoed during the 15th century.The mosttypical corner of Bolzano is its Piazza Erbe, hometo a thriving fruit and vegetable market. And it ishere that the archways of the Via dei Portici, shop-ping heart of the city, begin. To the left and rightdozens of elegant, well-stocked stores stretch out,incorporated into 15th-18th century houses withtheir jutting decorated fronts or Erker, and refineddoorways. Halfway along this thoroughfare is thePalazzo Mercantile where the city’s four famousfairs were planned.A number of castles in the envi-rons of the city are certainly worth visiting, firstand foremost Castel Róncolo (Tel. 39 0471329808), an exceptional noble residence with me-dieval frescoes taken from episodes of the Arthuri-an Cycle of legends. It was in 1390 that NiklausVintler ordered the ‘Summer House’ to be deco-rated with the stories of King Arthur and hisKnights of the Round Table,Tristan and Iseult, Garelof the Flowering Valley and Sir Gingalain (‘Le Bel In-
Bolzano’s Cathedral
BOLZANO: ÖTZI, THE SIMILAUN
MAN, AND SO MUCH MOREMALÉ-BOLZANO THROUGH MÉNDOLA: KM. 62;
ON HIGHWAY KM. 75
FERROVIA TRENTO-MALÉ TO MEZZOCORONA
STATE RAILWAY TO BOLZANO
Otzi: the man from Similaun
connnu’). The city offers many atmospheric walksto the visitor. On its outskirts is the Benedictinemonastery of Gries, with its magnificent baroquechurch.A contemporary art collection is housed inthe Museion (Tel. 39 0471 223411), a cultural cen-tre known across Europe that hosts shows thathave stimulated debate and even controversy.
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From the Passo Palade (reached either viaMostizzòlo, Revò and Fondo or by way of Clés
Dermulo and Fondo) the roadleads through evocative Alpinescenery down to the upper Valledell’Adige, passing through Tesi-mo and leaving Castel Leone tothe right. Beyond Lana, with itscemetery and church containinga large and picturesque 16th-century Gothic altar, a pleasantstretch of road leads throughorchards, vineyards and castlesincluding the medieval CastelLebensberg in Marlengo.The en-trance to Merano is across thebridge over the River Adige (A.P.T. – Tourist Office:Tel. 39 0473 272000), passing near the famous MaiaBassa horseracing track. Set in the heart of SouthTyrol, this city is a key tourist destination, with avery old centre featuring the arched fronts of its Viadei Portici in a busy quarter filled with shops, barsand restaurants. The atmosphere becomes magicalin the wintertime, lit up by one of the prettiestChristmas fairs in all of the Alps.The street arcadeslead on to the Cathedral, which was built between
1367 and 1495.Visitors are greeted by the large St.Christopher painted above the Gothic doorway.Thebell-tower rises to 83 metres, while behind the apsethe chapel of Santa Barbara contains a gilt altar dat-ing from 1450. The three-naved interior features anumber of 15th-century altars also painted and gild-ed. The statues of the Apostles in the presbyterydate from the 19th century.The Via dei Portici leadsto the Castello Principesco, residence of the Arch-duke Sigismondo between 1449 and 1480. Its mod-estly sized but pleasant interior spaces are a fine ex-ample of a Tyrolese noble residence, with a guard-
room, chapel, master bedroom,dining room and games room.Each chamber is decorated inperiod style. Not far from thecastle is the interesting Museocittadino (Folk Museum). In theMaia Alta area the gardens ofthe Castel Trautmansdorff (Tel.39 0473 235730) are wellworth a visit. These extraordi-nary botanical gardens, with awealth of plants growing inevery season, are never quitethe same from one day to an-
other, offering a very varied tour and great fun forchildren.The castle contains a museum of the histo-ry of tourism in Merano and South Tyrol, as well asan excellent restaurant and café. Merano is thebirthplace of the Counts of Tyrol, who dominatedthe area from the 12th century up until 1363, whenthey were supplanted by the Hapsburgs.Their cas-tle, which is one of the most important historicalbuildings in the region, is about a half-hour’s walkfrom the village of Tirolo (3.7 km from Merano).Apart from the collections contained in the Museoarcheologico, the huge Sala dei Cavalieri (Hall of theKnights) and the two-storeyed chapel embellishedby a huge Crucifixion from the German school ofthe 14th century are also worthy of note.The Ro-manesque doorways and their symbolic figures aresplendid.A wonderful view can be had from the Saladel Trono (Hall of the Throne). On the way backdown from Castel Tirolo an alternative route bringsthe visitor to the small pre-Romanesque church ofSan Pietro and Castel Thurnstein, and from there onfoot to the railway station in Merano.
A view of Merano
MERANO, THE CRADLE
OF THE TYROLMALÉ-P. PALADE-MERANO: KM. 74
Castel Tirolo
On 29 September 1145 the Augustinian friarsinvited by Bishop Altmann of Trento settled
in San Michele all’Adige. Their friary, equippedwith a fine library, was a beacon of Tridentine cul-ture until the establishment was suppressed inthe early 19th century.The Augustinians were ac-complished vine growers and revealed their se-crets to the local country people. In 1869 theProvincial Tyrolean Diet acquired the religiouscomplex and adapted it for use by the AgrarianInstitute set up in 1874, adding a new building ad-
jacent to the original structures. Themedieval part of the complex is
arranged around a trian-gular courtyardadorned with a loggia
and a three-
sided cloister. Since 1972 the friary has beenhome to the prestigious MUCGT folk museum(Tel. 39 0461 650314), founded in 1967 byGiuseppe Sebesta and occupying about 40 rooms.The collections housed here reflect the history,economy, religious beliefs, folklore and customsof the people of Trentino, especially from the 18thcentury on.The display halls show the techniquesused for winemaking, distilling and milling.Agricul-ture is represented by a complete collection oftools used on the land, while the sections devot-ed to metallurgy, spinning and pottery contain theimplements used by skilled craftspeople. Amplespace is also devoted to wood-
work, pastoralism and traditional cooking. Thecollections of household linen and clothing foreveryday use and for feast days are also interest-ing. All of this makes the museum a must-see foranyone wishing to gain an insight into the cultureand history of Trentino. The road for the Valle diCembra branches out from Lavis, a town on thenorthern outskirts of Trento, and leads to Segon-zano.This area is famous for the statuesque mon-uments sculpted by nature out of the debris fromthe valley’s glacial moraine. Different types of‘pyramid’ render the landscape unique: the moststriking are those shaded by a porphyry rock ‘hat’(sometimes weighing dozens of tons), while oth-ers are arranged like organ-pipes and still otherslook like sharpened blades. Legend has it thatthese are fairies and elves turned to stone by amysterious spell.
A detailed view of the museum
THE MUCGT FOLK MUSEUM
IN SAN MICHELE AND
THE ‘PYRAMIDS’ OF SEGONZANOMALÉ-S. MICHELE-SEGONZANO: KM. 70
The Museum’s exterior
Earth pyramids at Segonzano
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Rovereto, described on its municipal crest as the‘City of the Oak’, (A.P.T.- Tourist Office:Tel.: 39
0464 430363), is situated in the heart of the Val Laga-rina, between vineyards and groups oftowns and villages running along the rightand left banks of the River Adige.A seem-ingly endless series of armies, emperorsand prelates have travelled through thisvalley, including Barbarossa, Maximilian I ofHabsburg, Charles V, Pope Pius VI,Napoleon, and the Emperor Franz Joseph.Going even further back in time, a churchin the city commemorates the wedding ofTheodolinda and Authari, King of the Lom-bards. Rovereto with its rich history isnow one of the world capitals of contem-porary art, thanks to MART (the Museumof Modern and Contemporary Art ofTrento and Rovereto - Tel. 39 0464 454110), whichmanages to attract visitors, artists and art criticsfrom across the world thanks to its exhibitions andthe complex in which it is housed – a veritable bas-tion of culture. Castel Beséno (Tel. 39 0464 834600)is located on the approaches to the city, standingguard over the plain of the Adige and the road lead-ing to the plateau of Folgaria.This is a walled feudal
complex measuring 250 metres byabout 100 metres. The present-
day castle dates
from the 16th century, but an earlier medievalfortress had been built over an original prehistoricnucleus. Its various inhabitants have left their marksin the form of walkways, towers, spiral staircases,trapdoors, artillery emplacements and also frescoesin some of the chambers. For almost 500 years thecastle was the property of the Trapp family until the1970s when they handed it over to the AutonomousProvince of Trento.The province set about restoringit to perfection and in summer organises splendid
costumed re-enactments of times past.Rovereto is approached from the northpassing close to the Castel Pietra (men-tioned by Macchiavelli in 1508) andthrough Volano, an old town with the beau-tiful church of San Rocco, entirely frescoedin the 16th century.The centre of Rovere-to has a long history. An Iron Age settle-ment was built over by the Romans andthen by the Germanic colonists of the Mid-dle Ages.The Castelbarco family raised the
walled enclosure (13th-14th century).Later the city came under Venetian rule(1416-1509), as testified by the castle
(now the War History Museum) and the church ofSan Marco (1462). In the following centuries Rovere-to became the intellectual capital of Trentino, withthree musical chapels, the Accademia degli Agiatischolarly society and famous figures such as the au-thors Girolamo Tartarotti and Clementino Vannetti,the philosopher Antonio Rosmini, and the composerand conductor Riccardo Zandonai. It was here in1769 that the young W.A. Mozart gave two concerts.The silk industry also flourished in the city for fourcenturies, joined by the paper industry in the 18thcentury.Today Rovereto is still a modest centre forindustry. Its 19th-century noble buildings of the areworth visiting, especially the Palazzo Rosmini, theTeatro Zandonai, le Valbuse, the Civic Museum ofNatural Sciences, the church of Carmine.The Cam-pana della Pace (Bell of Peace) is located three kilo-metres from the city centre on the hill of Miravalle,measuring 3.36 metres high by 3.21 metres acrossits mouth and weighing 22.6 tonnes. Parking is avail-able in the small square in front of the monument.
Piazza Rosmini
A CITY FULL OF CULTURE:ROVERETO AND CASTEL BESENO
MALÉ-ROVERETO: KM. 84
FERROVIA TRENTO-MALÉ TO TRENTO
STATE RAILWAY TO ROVERETO
Castel Beseno
Bell of Peace’
On the way to Passo Tonale
An exciting tour along famous Alpine roads,though some of the highest peaks in Trentino,
Lombardy, Switzerland and South Tyrol, this itin-erary takes in the whole of the Stelvio NationalPark, which covers no less than 135,000 hectares.From the upper Val di Sole, take the road for Ver-miglio and climb up along the Austro-Hungarianfortifications including the most famous of all,Forte Strino, under the white wall of the Pre-sanella (3556 m).The Passo Tonale (1883 m) forms an open plain, awinter sports destination also offering the optionof summer skiing on the pistes of the PresenaGlacier at almost 3000 m. These mountainsmarked the Italian frontier for ten centuries. Themonument-ossuary, built after World War I(1914-1918) is just inside Lombardy.The road climbs down along a series of bends to-wards Ponte di Legno. A little before arriving atthe resort, take a right turn off the SS 42.After 16km this leads to the Passo di Gavia (2621 m), be-tween Monte Gavia (3223 m) and the Corno deiTre Signori (3360 m), and then continue down toSanta Caterina Valfurva after 13 km of bends.Thistourist resort contains an interesting ethnograph-ic museum.Bormio (A.P.T. –Tourist Office: Tel. 39 0342
903300) lies another 13 km along the road, astrategic point guarding
some of the most im-
portant passages through the Alps. From thetown the road follows the route traced by a mili-tary highway opened between 1820 and 1825 andwhich winds for 22 km up to the Passo Stelvio(2758 m), connecting the Valtellina and the ValVenosta. From here there is an optional ascent bycable-car to the Rifugio Livrio at 3174 m.The de-scent towards Spondigna consists of 27 km ofwinding roads through no fewer than 42 bends!Here the route passes under the sparklingheights of the Ortler (3905 m), through thickforests and resorts including Trafoi, Prato alloStelvio - with its 12th-century Romanesquechurch - and Gomagoi.The Val Venosta, beginning at Resia near the Aus-trian and Swiss borders and cut through by theRiver Adige, is a long basin filled with picturesqueold towns and villages.These include Lasa with itswhite marble quarries, Silandro placed betweenwide orchards and overlooked by an imposingRenaissance castle, Laces, Castelbello with is no-ble residence, and Naturno. This last village isoverlooked by Castel Juval, dating from the 13thcentury and the home since 1983 of the famousmountaineer Reinhold Messner.The castle can bevisited (Tel. 39 348 4433871 – 39 0471 631265,closed July-August and through the winter sea-son). Fourteen kilometres from this village theroute passes through the Foresta area on theedge of Merano, with its ancient and famousbrewery. From here take the ‘Strada delle Palade’,which passes by the old village of Lana and risesthrough broad bends to the Passo (1512 m). Onthe descent, a road to the right leads to the won-derful sanctuary of ‘Unsere Liebe Frau im Walde’(‘Our Lady of the Woods’ also known as the‘Madonna di Senale’), containing very beautifulwooden baroque altars and a Madonna which hasbeen worshipped since the Middle Ages. FromSenale (14 km) the road leads on to Fondo, afarming and tourist town in the upper Val di Non.There are two alternatives for the return toMalé: either continue towards Dermulo, thenturning right for Clés and the Val di Sole; or oth-erwise leave the main road at Fondo and head forBrez, Cloz and Revò immersed in their orchards,returning along the road leading from Mostizzòloto Malé.
A TOUR OF THE PASSES: TONALE,GAVIA, STELVIO AND PALADE
FROM MALÉ: KM. 254
Down from Passo Stelvio
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The northernmost part of the Val di Nòn, knownas ‘Deutschnonsberg’, has been inhabited since
the 13th century by people of Germanic origin.The northerners cultivated the mountainsides andworked the local quarries, and also brought with
them one of their distinctivecustoms: settlement in scat-
tered masi, or ruraldwellings, with a legal sys-tem, known as maso chiu-so (or ‘closed estate’), atradition of land inheri-tance through a singlechild, which today is nolonger necessarily thefirst-born son. Anotherdistinctive feature is the
use of the German lan-guage.The German-speakingcommunity lives principallyin the villages of Laurein andProveis (Lauregno andProves in Italian) and in the
area around the Passo Palade(San Felicio/Sankt Felix and Un-
sere Liebe Frau imWalde/Madonna di Senale).
These are high mountain villages, once almostcompletely cut off from the rest of the populationof South Tyrol by the mountain chain forming abarrier to the north. Not many years ago a roadwas built through it along a scenic route linkingthis tiny community in the Val di Nòn with the Vald’Ultimo (Tel. 39 0473 795387) and thus with theMerano and Bolzano area, saving its inhabitants along and winding journey. From Malé the journeycontinues on towards Clés: at Mostizzòlo theroute leads up to Revò, an elegant village im-
mersed in apple orchards boasting a number ofnoble residences, with Casa Càmpia in pride ofplace, and an extraordinary church built in 15th-century Swabian Gothic style. Immediately beforethe village a well-signposted road leads northwest,skirting Tregióvo. In the Frari area, at the junctionof the road leading for Rumo (a group of small vil-lages featuring extremely beautiful little churchesfrescoed in the 15th century by the Baschenis fam-ily) the route heads north, climbing in the directionof Proveis. The new road does not lead directlythrough Laurein, the legendary home of King Lau-rino who ruled over the Dolomites, nor Proveis,but continues through bends and tunnels to crossthe mountains between Ilmenspitz and Monte Lu-co. From here the route leads down towards theVal d’Ultimo, meeting up with the general roadnetwork between San Pancrazio (Sankt Pankraz)and Santa Valburga (Sankt Walburg). The valley isabout 40 km long and includes a number of villagesof typical South Tyrolean appearance, where manyof the old traditions, such as the processions ofthe Wise Kings, are preserved in the masi. Thisarea has a wealth of forests and is equipped withexcellent winter sports facilities, as well as a smallethnographic museum devoted to the traditionalarchitecture of Sankt Walburg. The highest villagein the area is Sankt Gertraud, on the edge of theStelvio National Park. It serves as a point of depar-ture for excursions on foot towards the CimaSternai (3443 m) and the Val di Rabbi.
Val d’Ultimo
THE NEW ROAD TO
PROVEIS AND THE VAL D’ULTIMOMALÉ-S. GERTRUDE VAL D’ULTIMO: KM. 50
Rural dwellingsin Val d’Ultimo
Schützen
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Our land, set at high altitudes amongst moun-tain peaks, is not as fortunate as others in
terms of fruit and vegetable growing.The climateis harsh, the farming land is almost always steep.However, our land is no mean: besidethe vineyards - especially wide-spread along the river Adige sidesand producing famous wines aswell as respectable spumanti(sparkling wines) - the Val di Nònslopes are thick with thousands oforchards. During the Middle Ages,this area was known as the re-gion’s granary, which was due tothe skills and genius of its inhabi-tants. In the fields, by the mulber-ry-trees and the vines, were al-ready flourishing apple and peartrees, as well as quince trees andmedlar trees.As late as in the early18th Century, this area was famousin Vienna for its fruit output, while, towards theend of the same Century, Napoleon himself couldenjoy the apples that a valley’s nobleman had of-fered him.Today Val di Nòn is a huge orchard; three sorts ofapples are mainly grown by local farmers as wellas by those in Lower Val di Sole: the CanadianQueen-Apple, Golden Delicious e Red Delicious.The fruit is processed and marketed throughmodern facilities, partly directed towards the ex-port markets.You do not need to go a long wayto have an overview of the local fruit-growing ac-tivities or to taste the savour of their output‘MondoMelinda’, at Segno, is a sort of Mecca ofDoc apples. The visit is not only intended as anoccasion for sampling food. Instead, it is an occa-sion to introduce beginners into the world of co-
operative work, that in the Bleggio area (westernTrentino) was introduced as early as in 1890, tofurther expand across the whole province ofTrento. Co-operatives gave very positive results,as they helped to overcome misery and to con-tain emigration from these lands.Our territory has also a proven, longstanding tra-dition in another area, namely in cattle growingand dairy production. These activities used to be
the main source of living – alongwith sylviculture and agriculture –for the inhabitants of Val di Soleand Upper Val di Nòn. There arecertainly fewer cowsheds todaythan there used to be, but thereare several thousands cattle.Their milk is used to make gen-uine products, such as butter andcheese, that still contribute to theValley’s economy. Though somesmall ‘caseifici turnari’ (cheesemaking factories with a typicalshift organisation) are still oper-ating in the Valley, as they used todo in the past, most of the dairyproduction is concentrated in two
modernly equipped, efficient facilities: the Caseifi-cio Presanella in Mezzana ant he CaseificioCércen in Terzolàs. A visit to each of them mightbe an instructive and tasty occasion to knowabout dairy tech.
Cheese making
THE PRODUCTS OF TRENTINO:‘MONDOMELINDA’ AND THE VALLEY’S DAIRIES
MALÉ-SEGNO KM. 25; MALÉ-MEZZANA: KM. 10.5;
MALÉ-TERZOLAS: KM. 2
FERROVIA TRENTO-MALÉ, LINE COACH
‘MondoMelinda’
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The Val di Genova and the waterfalls on the Nàrdisand Làres: nature at its most fascinating, wild andspectacular (40 km). Info: 39 0465 501007.
Innsbruck: historic capital of the Tyrol, with the Im-perial Court and Church, the Tyrolean Museum ofPopular Art, the Ferdinandeum (Tyrolean State Mu-seum), and other very interesting monuments,churches and castles (including Ambras Castle)(Malé 180 km; also by rail from Mezzocorona). Info:43 512 59850.
Livigno: duty-free zone offering excellent shoppingbargains! (187 km, via Passo Tonale, Aprica, Tiranoand Bormio). Info: 39 0342 052200.
St Moritz in Switzerland: wonderful views of themountains and glaciers at over 4000 metres. TheBernina Express runs alongside the road and is thehighest railway in Europe, (150 km). Info: 41 818373333 – Rhaetian Railway Co.: Tel. 39 0342701353.
Lake Garda and Lake Toblino: the splendid Benacusof the Romans, of glacial origin and with a Mediter-ranean climate, is 52 km long and extends throughthe three provinces of Trento, Brescia and Verona(80 km, via Campiglio,Tione and the Passo del Balli-no to Riva; also by motorway from San Michele toRovereto Sud and Mori-Riva). Romantic Lago di To-blino with its 11th-century castle is 17 km fromTrento (motorway exit Trento Nord) between themountains around the River Sarca. Info: 39 0464554444.
Spormaggiore, in Val di Nòn, offers generous viewsout over the valley and the Brenta Group. Its wildlifepark is home to a number of brown bears and hostsa centre for the monitoring and study of specimensliving in the mountains around (40 km). Info: 39 0461653637 – 39 0461 653622.
Fondo: a tourist and farming town in the upper Valdi Nòn. Twenty minutes’ walk to the north along aroute of botanic interest lies the little Lago Smeral-do, beautifully framed with pine and fir trees (33km). Info: 39 0463 830133.
Ponte di Legno: a winter sports and summer resortat the foot of the Passo di Tonale and close toAdamello. Eight kilometres to the north-east standsthe traditional hamlet of Case di Viso (41 km). Info:39 0364 91122.
Val di Brésimo: a narrow Alpine valley overlooked bythe ruined castle of Altaguarda (13 km). From Basél-ga a good mountain road leads to Malga Bordolóna(Alpine dairy - 25 km). Info: 39 0463 530310.
‘La Strada del Vino’ (wine tour): a land of vineyardsand orchards overlooked by ancient castles, with thebeautiful Lago di Caldaro.The mountain crossing atMéndola (1363 m) links the Val di Nòn and theSouth Tyrolean Val d’Adige. There are wonderfulviews from the nearby Monte Pénegal (57 km to Ap-piano: the road up to Méndola is 10.5 km long). Info:39 0471 345245.
Teodone and its ethnographic museum in ValPusterìa near Brùnico: three hectares of rural build-ings at the Maso Mair am Hof, illustrating South Ty-rolean rural culture (92 km). Info: 39 0474 552087-0474 555722.
Val Ridanna at the foot of the Pan di Zucchero of-fers the exciting chance to visit a mine worked fromthe Middle Ages on. Located near Vipiteno, withpaintings by the artist Michael Pacher (145 km). Info:39 0472 656364.
Bressanone: the old capital of the Prince-Bishopric;Castello Principesco (with a collection of cribs) andan impressive old quarter (cathedral, parish church,the arched Via Portici). Four kilometres to the northstands the Romanesque abbey of Novacella (with awonderful baroque church - Tel. 39 0472 836189)(95 km). Info: 39 0472 836401.
Sanctuary of Pietralba (from the road for Val diFiemme): built in the 16th century with a baroquechurch and wonderful views towards the Rosen-garten (79 km). Info: 39 0462 241111 - 0471615165.
Capodiponte in the Valcamonica: with the Parcodelle incisioni rupestri, or Rock Drawings Park, inNaquane featuring inscriptions dating from Neolith-ic to Paleo-Christian times spanning 4000 years andappearing on a hundred of rocks. (78 km). Info: 390364 42080.
Sanzeno, with the atmospheric sanctuary of SanRomedio, built before the year 1000 and the Museoretico (Rhaetian Museum), which traces the prehis-tory of the valley and of Trentino.
Romallo, with the Parco fluviale della Novella (riverpark), an extraordinary nature trail through thegorge of the mountain stream starting at Lago diSanta Giustina.
Coredo, Casa Marta, with its extraordinary collec-tion of folk costumes from right across the world.
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TOURIST INFORMATIONOFFICES VAL DI SOLE
OPEN YEAR ROUND ☎Malé 0463.901280
Folgarida 0463.986113
Mezzana/Marilleva 0463.757134
Passo Tonale 0364.903838
Peio 0463.753100
Cogolo 0463.754345
Dimaro 0463.974529
SEASONAL OFFICES
Commezzadura 0463.974840
Marilleva 1400 0463.796306
Ossana 0463.751301
Pellizzano 0463.751183
Rabbi 0463.985048
Vermiglio 0463.758200
TRANSPORTS
Ferrovia Trento Malé Marilleva
Malé 0463.901150
F.S.Trenitalia (without code) 892021
STELVIO NATIONAL PARK
Cogolo - Via Roma, 65 0463.746121
Rabbi - Loc. Bagni 0463.985190
Cogolo di Peio 0463.754186
MUSEUM AND CASTLES
IN VAL DI SOLE ☎Museo della Civiltà SolandraMalé - Via Trento 0463.901272-901780
Museo of Dairy TraditionsRabbi - località Somrabbi 0463.903046
“White War” MuseumVermiglio 0463.758144
Forte StrinoVermiglio 0463.758200
White War Museum “Peio 1914-1918”Peio Paese 348.7400942
IN TRENTINO
Folklive Museum of TrentinoS. Michele A.Adige 0461.650314
Buonconsiglio CastleTrento 0461.233770
Natural Science MuseumTrento - Via Calepina 0461.270311
Diocesan Museum - Trento 0461.234419
“G. Caproni” Aircraft MuseumMattarello di Trento 0461.944888
Castel Thun - Vigo di Ton 0461.657816
Castel StenicoStenico - Val Giudicarie 0465.771004
Castle of Rovereto and Historical War MuseumRovereto 0464.438100
Mart - Rovereto 0464.454110
Castel Beseno - Besenello 0464.834600
Sabbionara Castle - Avio 0464.684453
Palafitte MuseumMolina di Ledro 0464.508182
USEFUL ADDRESSES AND TELEPHONE NUMBERS
AZIENDA PER IL TURISMO DELLE VALLI DI SOLE, PEJO E RABBIV.LE MARCONI, 7 - 38027 MALÈ (TN)
TEL. 0463.901280 - FAX 0463.901563
[email protected] - www.valdisole.net
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TOURIST ASSOCIATIONS AND TOURIST BOARDS
☎A.P.T. Trento 0461.983880
A.P.T. Bolzano 0471.307000
A.P.T. Merano 0473.232000
A.P.T. Piné e Valle di Cembra 0461.557028
A.P.T. Rovereto 0464.430363
A.P.T. Garda Trentino 0464.554444
A.P.T. Campiglio, Pinzolo,Val Rendena 0465.442000
A.P.T. Bormio 0342.903300
A.P.T. Val di Fiemme 0462.241111
A.P.T. Val di Fassa 0462.601113
A.P.T Val di Non 0463.830117
Pro Loco Val d’Ultimo 0473.795387
Pro Loco Cles 0463.421376
Pro Loco “Le Maddalene” 0463.530310
Pro LocoTovel - Val di Non 0463.454023
CHEESE FACTORIES - APPLES
Caseificio Presanella Mezzana 0463.757282
Caseificio Cercen Terzolas 0463.901431
Mondo Melinda Segno (Val di Non) 0463.469299
WINE FACTORIES AND DISTILLERIES
Associazione Vignaioli del TrentinoTrento 0461.911957
“La• Vis”Lavis 0461.249519
Distilleria BertagnolliMezzocorona 0461.603800
Rotari - Cittadella del vinoMezzocorona 0461.616300-603906
Istituto AgrarioS. Michele all’Adige 0461.615111
☎Cavit Trento 0461.381711Casa Marchesa PallavicinaMezzolombardo 0461.603303S. LeonardoBorghetto all’Adige - Avio 0464.689004Castel Noarna Nogaredo 0464.413295F.lli PisoniPergolese 0461.563216Cantine Ferrari Trento 0461.972311F.lli Dorigatti Mezzocorona 0461.605313Casa del Vino della Vallagarina Isera 0464.486057Cantina d’isera Isera 0464.433795De Tarczal Marano d’Isera 0464.409134Spagnolli Isera 0464.409054Cantina Valle di CembraValle di Cembra 0461.680010Maso Martis Martignano 0461.821057Pojer e Sandri Faedo 0461.650342Balter Rovereto 0464.430101Madonna delle Vittorie Linfano di Arco 0464.505542Conti Bossi e Fedrigotti Borgo Sacco Rovereto 0464.439250Maso Poli Pressano 0461.658514Letrari Borgo Sacco Rovereto 0464.480200Longariva Borgo Sacco Rovereto 0464.437200Grigoletti Nomi 0464.834215Maso Cantanghel Civezzano 0461.859050
PLAN: A.P.T. Valli di Sole, Peio e RabbiTEXT BY: Fortunato Turrini - All rights reserved • PHOTOGRAPHY BY: G. Bernardi, A. Dalpez,V. Mariotti, Zotta, De Polo, Risser,
Andergassen, Fraschetti, Simonini, A.P.T. Val di Sole archives - D.AndreisPRINTED BY: Tipografia Esperia srl - First Edition 2000 - Updated reprint 2011
TRAIN+BIKETRAIN+BIKEfrom June 25th
to September 4th 2011
BIKE BUSBIKE BUSEvery Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday
you can use the ssppeecciiaall BBiikkee BBuuss sseerrvviiccee that can transport uupp ttoo 2255 bbiiccyycclleess on a bus from MMAARRIILLLLEEVVAA 990000 –– CCOOGGOOLLOO;
this service is also available every Tuesday and Sunday
from DDIIMMAARROO –– MMAADDOONNNNAA DDII CCAAMMPPIIGGLLIIOOand every Thursday from MMAALLÉÉ--PPAASSSSOO TTOONNAALLEE.
This service must be booked in advance.
TTAAKKEE AADDVVAANNTTAAGGEE OOFF TTHHEE SSPPEECCIIAALL TTRRAAIINNSS TTHHAATT HHAAVVEE BBEEEENN MMOODDIIFFIIEEDD TTOO TTRRAANNSSPPOORRTT BBIICCYYCCLLEESS
TTHHRROOUUGGHH CCEERRTTAAIINN AARREEAASS OOFF TTHHEE VVAALLLLEEYY..
With your own bike or with a rented bike, for a wwhhoollee ddaayyor for ffiivvee hhoouurrss of your choice, you can easily go from one area
to another and enjoy the many MTB routes, the cycling path
of the valley and the specially equipped train that can transport 8800 bbiiccyycclleess from MMOOSSTTIIZZZZOOLLOO –– MMEEZZZZAANNAA.
And when you’re tired you can put your bike on a train
and relax as you enjoy the ride back.
