The Lagorai chain, in eastern Trentino, stretches from the Val di Cembra to the magnificent community of Fiemme. an uninterrupted parade of wild beauty. Especially on winter days, when these silent and solitary peaks, with their northern slopes in the shade, acquire an additional, fascinating aura of mystery. They are perhaps the least man-made mountains in the Alps, they are certainly places where magic becomes a real perception and, at the same time, the reality of the mountain – so strong, so imposing, so sensual – transcends into magic. A naturalistic and human treasure, still unknown to most.
shadow carousel
The Lagorai chain: behind the wheel of the Tiguan
Go up the Val di Cembra up to the Dolomite Pass Rolle a journey as short on the road as it is infinite in the discovery of its mysterious ravines, hidden in the so-called secondary valleys, which in terms of the quality of the environment and the intensity of the emotions generated are also fully primary. Traveling through the Cembra Valley, starting from Trento at the wheel of the Volkswagen Tiguan, you will encounter a myriad of villages clinging to the steep slopes in search of sun and life, apparently motionless in their peace. But an industrious suspension: this territory of porphyry quarries and mountain vineyards. Real work, hard work.
The infinity of terraces that can be seen they are the result of the work of many generations, one after the other in making the steep slopes of the first offshoots + of the Lagorai arable. After admiring the pyramids of Segonzano, an interesting natural formation, we cross the Valfloriana. Even in the middle of winter, this valley can be traveled along a pleasant road that in the silence muffled by the virginal blanket of snow makes us feel far from the city, which we have recently left.
As soon as you arrive in Val Di Fiemme, the main valley which forms the northern border of the Lagorai chain, we take one of the many side valleys that open in parallel to decorate the mountain range. We park near the last farms. Making the most of the embarrassing stop, there are so many farmhouses in the area: places where sustainability is not marketing, but secular life, tradition, culture, habit. You get up from the table satisfied and light, put on your skis or poles, and get lost in a white paradise.
Winter in Lagorai can also be cold and impenetrable, but it is not necessary to climb to the top of the peaks to feel that you have reached your goal. The goal, the culmination of the spiritual experience, often a hut that can be reached without too much effort. Arriving in Cavalese, the capital of the Val di Fiemme, we see the gondola lift leading upwards to the snows of Cermis, its exciting slopes, its slopes constantly kissed by the sun. The cable car gives everyone the opportunity to enjoy the panorama that stretches across the sparkling skyline, not only of the Lagorai, but of Trentino Alto Adige, with an almost 360 degree view.
Let’s put the Tuguan’s traction selector in snow and we accept the small challenge launched by the snow groomers of the ski area, who in the pandemic season are stopped waiting for a start that does not want to arrive. The fault of Covid, of course. But in the meantime, the local economy – which means daily life and the future of many families – also falls to its knees. To distract from these sad thoughts we think the Tiguan, dancing confidently on the snow, a slalom that makes everyone smile.
Cermis can also be climbed in the height of summer to enter comfortably into the wild heart of the Lagorai and above all to walk the new via ferrata that embroiders the highest peak, a real thrill for everyone. Let’s go back to the asphalt of the valley floor and meet the other side of the economy of this area: sports shoe factories, wood craftsmen, dairies. Companies that breathe to the rhythm of nature, which have been able to evolve their processes and their mission, often historical, according to the principles of green.
The Val di Fiemme also famous as the seat of the cross-country skiing world championships and the legendary Marcialonga, whose route often crosses the main road. We call the skins back into service and slowly, to enjoy the climb, we explore ever new landscapes at every step, and then down, while the skis sing with joy, while the emotion takes your breath away.
In Predazzo, the last village in the Val di Fiemme, we deviate towards Passo Rolle: the apotheosis of our winter journey. There are still many variants for the streets opened by the heroic woodcutters in centuries of continuous, incessant, work. Even on days at – 20 like today they, the woodcutters, are there proud of their work. The Rolle pass, at an altitude of 2000 meters, is a huge area where ski slopes, snowshoe trails and ski mountaineering destinations coexist in perfect harmony. We are in the realm of winter outdoors.
The breathtaking view of the Pale di San Martino, the dizzying verticality of Cimon della Pala, the fairytale Val Venegia, a hiking paradise in all seasons, the inviting slopes of the Valles pass … Beauty all around us. Seventy kilometers, we have covered so many going up the Cembra and Fiemme Valleys, which are a journey through time, in the generous and mysterious heart of the Lagorai.
March 5, 2021 (change March 5, 2021 | 17:36)
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