What to see in Valsugana -
do, see, taste
It is not easy to decide what to see in Valsugana, because this area offers really many paths and routes. A holiday in this beloved Valley of south-eastern Trentino is a must for those who love outdoor activities, hiking and untouched nature, and also for the less sporty, but lovers of good food and wine flavors, art, history.
La Villa degli Orti has selected for you some suggestions on what to see and what to do in Valsugana you absolutely should not miss!
- Arte Sella
Now famous throughout the world, the contemporary art exhibition Arte Sella is hosted since 1986 in Val di Sella, not far from Borgo Valsugana. It is a unique art show, which includes permanent and temporary exhibitions, results of the creative process of world-renowned artists: the artworks are realized directly on the site, taking from nature inspiration and materials, integrating them with the surrounding vegetation.
Arte Sella is stage of big events, can be visited throughout the year and has two main routes: the route ArteNatura, which starts about 10 km from Borgo Valsugana, and the area around Malga Costa, from which you can reach the famous Vegetal cathedral.
www.artesella.it - The path of Castles
Fascinating and panoramic loop route, not particularly tiring, the castle tour is particularly suitable for a nice autumn or winter walk. There are some variants: the first to Castel San Pietro and Torcegno and descent to Maso Castagnè, the second towards Castellalto and descent from Telve. The drop is 450 meters, and is easily walkable in 3 or 4 hours.
- The path of "Don Cesare"
The trail dedicated to Don Cesare Refatti, known local mountain climber, starts at the first bend in the road that from Borgo go up to the hamlet of Olle and climbs along the course of the creek Moggio. The route runs in a wild and picturesque nature, characterized by the alternation of rocks and water. Along the route there are several picnic areas. The "Path of Don Cesare" is connected with the "Percorso Arte Natura" of Arte Sella.
- The bike path
The bike path of Valsugana is considered the coolest of Trentino. Runs for long stretches parallel to the river Brenta, through natural landscapes, fields and meadows, and alongside steep mountain slopes. Starts in Pergine Valsugana, touches the lakes of Caldonazzo and Levico, and comes down to Bassano del Grappa, with a total length of 85 km.
For the more experienced, there are several mountain bike trails, most marked with GPS.
To carry out this activity there is a service of bicycles for hire. www.inbikevalsugana.it - Skiing
Even during the winter activities are not lacking in Valsugana. The ski resort Passo Brocon, offers several possibilities for snow lovers: fifteen wonderful ski runs, some illuminated at night, divided into levels, ski lessons for beginners and advanced skiers, snow park, ski schools and playgrounds for children, chalets and lodges for your meals. A paradise only half an hour far away from Borgo Valsugana.
www.skilagorai.it - Playing golf
A sport like golf offers an opportunity to challenge themselves and regenerate at the same time. In Valsugana there are several structures that host races and competitions for experts and create opportunities for test and start-up courses for those who want to approach this fascinating sport.
Roncegno Terme www.golfclubroncegno.it
Pergine Valsugana www.breakpoingolf.it
Conca del Tesino www.tesinogolf.com - Castel Telvana
Occupying a panoramic location above the historic town of Borgo Valsugana, Castel Telvana overlooking the entire valley.
The history of Castel Telvana is closely linked to the history of Borgo Valsugana, the ancient Ausugum, then Borgum Ausugi, important roman stronghold placed in defense of the Via Claudia Augusta Altinate. The fortress can be reached by a charming little medieval street, the so-called path of the castles, which starts from the center of the village, runs on the slopes of Mount Ciolino, and reaches the back of the castle where you can enjoy a magnificent view on entire Valsugana.
The original heart of the castle, dating from the thirteenth century, has developed around a peculiar square watchtower reaching 26 mt height but only 5 mt per side. Its special feature is similar to the fortress of Arco: both are designed with the diagonals, one parallel and the other perpendicular to the direction of the valley. There is no absolute certainty, because the sources are conflicting on this, but it seems that the castle was destroyed by the Franks in 590 (according to other sources it happened instead in the Late Middle Ages). In 1665 it was burned and finally restored and turned into a baronial residence. The castle was protected by two rows of curtain walls: the higher one served as support for the garrison, while the lower one served as a stronghold for the defense batteries. - Permanent exhibition of the Great War in Valsugana and Lagorai
The exhibition presents a wide and interesting display of evidence relating to the Great War, especially the battles that took place between the Altopiano dei Sette Comuni, Valsugana and the mountain range of the Lagorai-Cima d'Asta.
- Soggetto Montagna Donna - Subject Mountain Woman
In an ancient family house in the village of Olle, a hamlet of Borgo, there is an exhibition that focuses on the woman. The route gives a voice to the female inhabitants of the mountain, often anonymous figures, through evidences related to the different moments of female existence and its social and symbolic meanings. Among others, Casa Andriollo preserves documents and artifacts related to the female daily life, especially in the domestic field, and try to reveal intimate aspects of women's experience focusing on fervent creativity born and raised in anonymity. The initiative seeks to enhance quality and knowledge of women of the past, which have lived for years under low consideration, sometimes belittled and designed only to tasks considered of lower importance, as happened to Alice, the last inhabitant of the house.
- PER VIA – Museo tesino delle stampe e dell'ambulantato - Museum of Prints and Peddlers (in Pieve Tesino)
The museum was created to celebrate the memory of peddlers Tesino inhabitants that, rich only of their prints boxes, traveled far and wide reaching the far corners of the world, founding shops and publishing houses. PER VIA is a space that preserves and tells the epic story of single men on and from which reflected the collective experience that characterized the centuries of life in Valsugana.
- Museum Degasperi (in Pieve Tesino)
Alcide De Gasperi was born 3 April 1881 in Pieve Tesino. He will die a few kilometers away, 73 years later in the house that now holds a museum, after becoming involved in some of the most important events of European history of the twentieth century.
The small museum built in his birthplace, Casa De Gasperi, opened in 2006 in order to preserve the memory of the work of De Gasperi and to transmit experience, values and the message to current and future generations, is a tangible sign of the roots and the link of the statesman with this area of Trentino.
What wakes up more interest is the building itself, monument-document that is carefully maintained and preserved as physical and ideal evidence of the origins of De Gasperi. It reveals a De Gasperi citizen of the Habsburg Empire first, and then Italian and European, but nevertheless always Trentino, in a continuous relationship between the personal history of one man and the one of a statesman, active in politics and institutions, which he himself contributed to create.