Just like in fairy tales
What to do on the Alpe Cimbra with the whole family in autumn
In Trentino there is a special place, where freedom runs through green pastures with alpine pastures, streams and forest paths. This is the Alpe Cimbra, one of Europe’s largest alpine pastures, where you breathe history and admire biodiversity that is among the most varied in the Alps.
Here, in the villages of Lavarone, Luserna and Folgaria, you will still hear the ancient Cimbrian language spoken, the language of legends handed down through the generations, populated by gnomes, goblins and witches, so real that you can almost imagine them amongst the trees in the woods.
The villages, such as San Sebastiano, Carbonare and Nosellari, are a smattering of houses, in white plaster with wooden shutters. In the woods just beyond, pay close attention, Sambinelo wanders, an elf dressed in red....
Alpe Cimbra is the new Narnia
At the time of year when green gives way to fiery colours, the Dragon and the Deer experience new adventures. Both statues, created by the genius of the artist Marco Martalar, tell a story of rebirth and hope, as they were built from trees knocked down during the Vaia Storm in 2018.
The Dragon, indeed, is a story within a story. Reduced to ashes in the summer of 2023 by malicious hands that burnt it to ashes, it was reborn to new life and became the Vaia Regeneration Dragon.
The Return of the Witch Brava Part
La Brava Part, la Brava Part! The children who once happily frolicked in the meadows and streams of the Alpe Cimbra feared this mysterious figure, and the mere mention of her name set them running straight home. But who was the Brava Part? According to legend, a witch lived in a hidden cave in the forest, in the Valle del Rio Cavallo valley. At dusk, her shrill, piercing song made the unwary who dared to venture along the riverbank run for their lives.
Today the witch is no longer scary, not even to children! On the contrary, the Brava Part has been an honoured witness of the Alpe Cimbra, its culture and traditions for more than 30 years, so much so that every year she is the protagonist of a great festival in Folgaria, the Grande Sfilata della Brava Part (Great Parade of the Brava Part), which this year falls on 28 and 29 September. The witch enters the village to open the parade of floats, historical costumes, animals, bands and choirs from all over Trentino. A festival to make Folgaria’s historical memory known, even to those who come from afar.
All the beauty of the Alpe Cimbra
The Witch, the Dragon, the Deer...what happiness for the little ones, but the fantasy continues along the paths of the Alpe Cimbra on the Sentiero Cimbro dell’Immaginario. The route is easy and suitable for everyone, even little ones in pushchairs: a 7 km loop that runs between imaginary characters, fir and beech trees, telling the story of traditional legends.
If your family loves biking, FolgaRide Trail Center, open on weekends in September until 6 October, is well worth a try! Inside is the Baby Bike Park, with small tracks at the base of the facilities served by a treadmill, suitable for children and designed to familiarise them with pedalling on bikes. There is also a fun Pump Track, a loop track with humps and parabolic curves, suitable for all levels, where you ride without pedalling, just body movements to improve your bike handling and training.