Trip to Ossana, amid woods and streams

Take your hiking boots, rucksack and a flask with you because you'll be doing a lot of walking in these two days. The first trip we recommend takes you to the Stelvio National Park.

This is a pleasant walk that lasts about three hours but does not pose any particular difficulties or demanding slopes. The departure from the town of Peio and, after admiring the splendid Cascata Rio Vioz, also known as Cascata Covel (Covel Waterfall), you will reach lago di Covel (Lake Covel) and its mountain pastures. Once you are here, you can stop off at Malga Covel, to taste their delicious famous goat's cheese.

After your morning walk, it's time to explore Ossana, one of the most Beautiful Villages in Italy. Your visit cannot but begin at the Chiesa di San Vigilio, (San Vigilio Church), which is the oldest in Alta Val di Sole. Built after 1180, it contains 2 altars, one made of marble and one made of wood.

But what will most certainly catch your eye is the striking keep of castello di San Michele, which is a good 25 metres high! The castle, complete with a drawbridge, fortified avant-corps and walls, is situated in a strategic location, on a spur of rock between the region of Trento and Upper Brescia.

San Michele is one of the four castles of Trento that are part of the tour of the Trenino dei Castelli (Castle Train), which, in summer, crosses the Val di Non and the Val di Sole.

If you're hungry after all this walking, you can start thinking about dinner. We recommend the Antica Osteria Restaurant, right in the middle of the village: A cosy Alpine-style restaurant where you can enjoy sophisticated modernized traditional tastes.

Before going to sleep, don't forget to look up at the wonderful sky of Ossana, named by Astronomitaly as one of the best villages in Italy to admire the heavenly vault.

After a good night's sleep and a rich breakfast, it's time to decide what to do. We offer you two options linked to the world of water: one for the bravest, available in summer, the other, a little tamer, which is just as exciting.

Val di Sole is famous for its rivers, including the fiume Noce (Noce River), one of the ten best rivers in the world for rafting. Cascading down the rushing waters of this river is not as hard as you think, also because you will be accompanied by rafting guides. The only requirement: being able to swim. What about having a go?

If you prefer the warbling of the finches to the crashing of the rapids, you can opt for a nice walk in the woods, to marvel at the Sass Pisador waterfall. A relaxing one-and-a-half-hour trip that will take you to the mountain cottages and pastures of the Valpiana, reaching the Cascata “Sas Pisador” (Sas Pisador Waterfall), with its rocky path for climbing enthusiasts.

We're almost at the end of our weekend in Ossana, but before leaving Val di Sole you still have enough time to stop off in one of these two highly-recommended places.

The first is the MMape (Mulino Museo dell'Ape) (The Bee Museum in the Mill), where you can learn all about the world of bees, their habits and hard-working life inside the hive. Here, accompanied by bee-keepers, you can witness every step of the extraction of the honey, taste the sweet nectar and purchase beehive products, which come exclusively from small local farms.

Otherwise, you can explore Castel Caldes (Caldes Castle), a Gothic-style castle, enriched with period furniture, works of art and the count's stube, which has recently been restored to its former glory. Today, the castle hosts cultural events, exhibitions, shows, concerts, guided tours and workshops for families.

IMPORTANT: Remember to check the opening times and days of the various museums, by consulting the app Mio Trentino, which can be downloaded free of charge from stores.