Uncommon Trentino

Uncommon Trentino. A secret place hidden in the woods

Between the Dolomites and Lake Garda, geographically between two sacred monsters of Italian tourism, there is a hidden corner of Italy yet to be discovered, full of traditions and beautiful landscapes.

Change your pace and breathe. Fill the lungs with the scent of moss, the balsamic smell of fir trees and fresh grass with dew: it is the aroma therapy of the woods. The mind soon relaxes and opens up to new stimuli. They call it forest bathing, for an awakening of the senses in contact with nature to restore your balance. It’s a centuries-old practice in Japan, shinrin-yoku, and it can be found in this hidden corner of Trentino.

The discovery of this area can start from the valley of the Terme di Comano, a unique environment recognized as a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO, a medium-mountain ecosystem with pure, allergen-free air and an incredibly healthy mineral water, the beautiful thermal park surrounded by greenery is worth a visit. Here you can experience walking barefoot in the woods, embrace trees meditating in silence, do autogenic training to reconnect with nature.

This area is an excellent starting point also for light walks at low altitude, following the gentle winding paths, paths that lead to the discovery of a surprising nature, such as the Limarò Canyon, excavated by the Sarca river.

Or get lost among historical sites such as the churches frescoed in the sixteenth century by the Baschenis, a family of itinerant painters or the archaeological site of Fiavè, with the remains of prehistoric stilts dating back to 2500 BC.

Always from Comano it is easy to reach the beautiful Castello di Stenico and take the opportunity to stroll through the BoscoArteStenico route, a walk among land art and sculptures scattered in the lush greenery.

The alternative to walking are e-bikes, perhaps trying the splendid KmZero Unesco Bike Tour, to ride freely with the possibility, along the track, to stop and taste the tasty dishes that farmhouses and producers offer. Between soft hills and fairy-tale rural landscapes, you get to San Lorenzo in Banale, one of the most beautiful villages in Italy to taste the ciuìga, a turnip salami with a pungent taste at the Agriturismo Il Ritorno.

This sleeping village is unwillingly left, with stone houses adorned with flowered wooden balconies, but it is worth going to the tiny village of Rango, not before having crossed the splendid expanses of cultivated fields of Lomaso.

You can go even further to discover the southern part of the Val Rendena, at the foot of the Adamello Brenta Natural Park, a paradise for mountain lovers and for those who love cheeses. The valley is dotted with dairies that produce excellent fresh and mountain cheeses, such as the Maso Pan Dairy in Caderzone Terme, which breeds only local cattle for Slow Food.

From the return of the visit to Val Rendena, you can stop in Tione, to end this tour in the name of good living, at the Filanda de Boron, a winery that produces wines at 600 meters above sea level only from Piwi vines, which they adapt to the harsh mountain climate without the need for chemical treatments. Here they produce two excellent white wines from Solaris grapes.

In short, there is certainly no shortage of reasons to discover this secret at the foot of the Alps. Leave the usual destinations and rediscover yourself.