In Trentino through the woods
...searching for dwarves, elves and bearded giants
Once upon a time there were a boy and a girl who, with their mum and dad, had decided to explore the Dolomites and the thick fir, pine and larch woods that grow at the foot of the mountain range. While they were strolling among the trees, they heard a noise coming from a bush: What was it? A squirrel? A chamois? No… it was a small elf dressed in red, called “salvanel” (a wild man).
It is only one of the creatures that the locals have always known live in the Trentino woods: courageous princesses, dwarves with magical powers, sweet vivanas (young girls who lived in the woods) and tall, stout salváns (hirsute creatures, with very long beards, dressed in clothes made of tree bark and lichens). If you want to make friends with them, you must first learn about them. You can start with these five legends we have chosen for you but, before venturing into the woods, remember: “Be careful of the wicked bregostane (wild, marauding women who wander about the woods and pastures and live in caves)!”
King Laurin and enrosadira (alpenglow)
Do you know why the Dolomites take on magnificent pink hues? The story goes back centuries, when the Catinaccio mountains were inhabited by Laurin, the king of dwarves, who one day fell in love with a beautiful princess...
The red-water lake
In Val di Non, there is a lake whose waters used to turn red in summer. Perhaps to recall the sacrifice of Queen Trebisonda, who had fought on the lake shores to defend her people.
The creatures of the woods
Once upon a time, the Trentino woods were inhabited by mysterious creatures, the huge salváns, the sweet vivanas, the spiteful salvanels and the wicked bregostane. Do you want to know who they are?
The “Pale Mountains”
A long time ago, the white walls of the Dolomites were dark and covered with trees ... until a prince fell in love with a princess of the Moon and to win her heart he asked the dwarves to help him.
In the footsteps of the Mazaròl
If you take a walk in the woods at the foot of the Pale di San Martino mountains and you hear the noise of hooves, open your eyes wide: it could be the famous Mazaròl, an old man with wooden clogs, tattered hat and large cloak.
