TAKE IT SLOWLY IN TRENTINO THIS WINTER

Between Turkish baths and Kneipp cures, let yourself be embraced by the warm and scented vapours of an Aufguss session. After a refreshing shower, get ready for a meal of “strangolapreti” dumplings with butter and sage and maybe a glass of Teroldego wine, as the snow blankets the mountains outside.

Skiing through the silence of nature

Glide on your skis along perfectly groomed trails, through woodlands and meadows as, in the silence, the majestic peaks of the Dolomites seem to rise in greeting, natural masterpieces bathed in white. Feel the rhythm of your breathing, the push of your arms and the flex of your legs. And when the fatigue starts to bite, take a break at a welcoming refreshment point next to the trail. This is the perfect context for fully appreciating cross-country skiing, a discipline which in Trentino can count on a network of well-organised Nordic Skiing Centres, all easily accessible thanks to a single ski pass. This is the SuperNordic Skipass which unites 17 Cross-Country Skiing Centres and offers a total of 1,100 kilometres of tracks across Trentino, Veneto and the Modena Apennines. A total of 12 skiing centres in Trentino, spread across different tourist areas, adhere to the initiative. The pass can be bought in any of the adherent ski centres and also gives you access to their local services. Furthermore, to check out trail and weather conditions in real time you can check out www.supernordicskipass.it or download the App (available on Google Play) where, area by area, you’ll find information regarding the last grooming, snow conditions temperature and humidity, which will help you choose the right ski wax, besides the real time images from the webcams installed in various centres.

Snowshoe paradise

In the winter months, a surprising aspect of Trentino reveals itself as you walk along trails and forest paths towards mountain farmhouses, pastures and new and increasingly impressive panoramas, with your snowshoes securely strapped onto your boots. Once the essential and exclusive footwear of mountain farmers and woodsmen, today snowshoes are used by all, allowing anyone to march through even the deepest of snow. Snowshoe treks are one of the many activities offered by the natural parks in Trentino where, in winter, nature, although apparently at rest, is actually teeming with life as attested by the numerous animal tracks dotting the candid snow. In the Paneveggio-Pale di San Martino Natural Park, it’s possible to take an easy, yet spectacular route that takes you to the Malga Bocche farmstead, offering a fantastic view spanning the majestic peaks of the Pale di San Martino Dolomites and the nearby Lagorai group, or through the Val Veneggia valley and takes you right under the imposing Cimòn de la Pala peak. From the Visitor’s Centre in Paneveggio, furthermore, it’s possible to take a trail through the vast tonewood forest of Norway spruce and reach the lakes of Colbricòn. In the Adamello-Brenta Natural Park, in the company of mountain guides, it’s possible to enjoy the unrivalled silence of the valleys of Val Brenta and Val d’Agola. Moreover, from Campo Carlo Magno, above Madonna di Campiglio, it’s also possible to reach the unique natural basin of the Malghette lake. The eastern and southern areas of the park, comprising the towns of Andalo and Molveno and the areas of the Val Giudicarie and the Val del Chiese, and their lateral valleys, also offer numerous snowshoe itineraries of varying difficulty, like the easy treks the climb up along the Val Breguzzo valley or take you up along the Valle di Bondone and the Val Daone. In the Val di Sole and the Val di Rabbi, through and among the forests and mountains of the Stelvio National Park, it’s possible to snowshoe your way to alpine farmsteads, frozen lakes and a range of other hidden winter treasures. Every tourist district has its very own calendar for snowshoe excursions in the company of qualified mountain guides.

In the Val di Fiemme there’s the Maso delle Erbe farmstead, known for its varieties of honey, propolis and the therapeutic and beauty creams produced with medicinal herbs and bee products. This trek in the company of llamas and alpacas is free for children up to 4 years of age. For those aged between 5 and 12, the cost is €11.00 whereas adults pay €16.50 (booking is required by calling 345 8138733). In the Val Rendena, in Campo Carlo Magno overlooking Madonna di Campiglio, the Malga Darè farmstead which houses the Athabaska educational farm (open all year round), is the starting point for excursions in the company of llamas and dog-sledding tours. Moreover, the Maso Eden farm in Vigo Cavedine in the Valle dei Laghi offers a range of walks and treks, of varying duration and difficulty, in the company of llamas and alpacas along mountain trails above the valley and immersed in a splendid natural environment.

Barefoot walks on the snow

Take a barefoot walk along a forest trail, or across a meadow shimmering with morning dew, or over the stones of a mountain path. Learn to perceive and recognise the myriad of sensations transmitted by the ground beneath your feet, such as the roughness of stone or the coolness of a mountain stream. You will find yourself captivated by an experience which combines the biomechanics of walking, a beneficial connection with Earth’s magnetic field, the art of passing from hot to cold, and vice versa (which the German abbot Kneipp transformed into a proper therapy) and the millions of sensory stimuli that race through your mind and body. Such an experience can also be carried out on the snow and will allow you to discover, in a much more decisive manner, the reinvigorating power of barefoot walking combined with the principles of the Kneipp cure. Of course, to learn something you need a school, and in Trentino Andrea Bianchi filled this gap a year ago with his school “Il Silenzio dei Passi” (The Silence of Steps), the first institute dedicated to teaching the techniques of barefoot walking in nature in Italy. Through various activities, the aim of this school is to get people more familiar with barefoot walking in nature and the mental and physical benefits this activity promotes: an activity suitable for everyone and an experience that favours the re-establishment of a connection both with nature and with ourselves. You can try out barefoot walking on the snow at the Malge Millegrobbe farmhouse on the occasion of the second edition Dolomiti Winter Fest which will take place from 2-4 March.

For further info: www.visittrentino.info