Alpe Cimbra
Alpe Cimbra is the Trentino plateau that brings together the municipalities of Folgaria, Lavarone, and Luserna, between the Vicent...
Ενημερώθηκε στις 20 Ιουλίου 2026
Alpe Cimbra
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Η ιστορία
Η ιστορία του/της Alpe Cimbra
Geography and territory
Alpe Cimbra is the plateau that extends in southeastern Trentino, bordering the province of Vicenza and the Asiago Plateau, with which it shares geology and landscape. It includes the municipalities of Folgaria, Lavarone, and Luserna, distributed between 900 and 1,400 meters above sea level, in an environment of red fir forests, meadows, and gentle limestone hills. The area is reached from Rovereto and the Vallagarina, going up the Val Terragnolo or the Valle dell'Astico, and is naturally connected to the Lessini Mountains and the Adige Valley. This crossroads position has always made the plateau a place of passage, grazing, and, in the 20th century, a strategic border.
History and Cimbrian identity
Alpe Cimbra's identity is rooted in the early medieval settlement of Bavarian-speaking colonists, who populated the plateau from the 11th-13th centuries, creating the Cimbrian linguistic island. In Luserna, Trentino's smallest municipality, Cimbrian (zimbar) is still a living language, protected by the Cimbrian Cultural Institute and told in the Haus von Prükk museum. In the 20th century, the plateau became the theatre of the Great War: here ran the border between the Kingdom of Italy and the Austro-Hungarian Empire, defended by the Austrian forts of Cherle, Belvedere-Gschwent, Sommo Alto, and Dosso delle Somme, which can be visited today and are connected by the scenic Strada dei Forti, a route through history and landscape.
Landscape and nature
The landscape of Alpe Cimbra alternates between spruce and larch woods, high-altitude pastures, and small bodies of water like Lake Lavarone and Lake Costa, destinations for walks and summer swimming. Alpine huts dot the summit plateaus towards Passo Vezzena and Passo Coe, offering views of the Piccole Dolomiti, Pasubio, and the Asiago Plateau. Alpine fauna includes roe deer, red deer, and marmots, while the network of trails, including sections of the Sentiero della Pace (Path of Peace), allows for exploration on foot or by mountain bike of an environment that is still largely unspoiled, valuable for its variety of flora and the silence of its woods.
Villages and places to visit
Folgaria, the main center, develops together with the hamlets of Serrada, Costa and Guardia, a reference point for skiing and summer tourism. Lavarone, with its hamlets of Chiesa, Gionghi, Cappella and Bertoldi, was a holiday resort in the early twentieth century, also frequented by Sigmund Freud. Luserna, perched on a rocky spur, preserves the layout of the Cimbrian village with the documentation center of Lusérn culture. Forte Belvedere-Gschwent today houses the Museum of the Great War, while the Strada dei Forti connects the Austro-Hungarian fortifications scattered on the plateau on foot or by bike, with views of the Vallagarina and the Asiago Plateau.
Food and traditions
The cuisine of Alpe Cimbra is typical of the Trentino mountains: canederli, polenta, porcini mushrooms and blueberries picked in the woods, alpine pasture cheeses aged in local dairies. The symbolic product is Vezzena, a hard cheese that takes its name from the plateau and the alpine pastures of Passo Vezzena, where cattle graze in summer. There is no shortage of speck, smoked cured meats and tosela, often served with polenta. The alpine pastures, in addition to producing cheese, offer refreshment to hikers, while the village festivals and the winter markets of Folgaria and Lavarone keep the peasant and Cimbrian traditions of the plateau alive.
Not to be missed
- Fort Belvedere-Gschwent and the Great War Museum
- Strada dei Forti between Folgaria, Lavarone and Vezzena
- The Cimbrian village of Luserna and its Cultural Institute
- Lake Lavarone and Lake Costa
- Folgaria's ski slopes and the Lavarone-Vezzena cross-country trails
Αξιοθέατα
What to see in Alpe Cimbra
Routes · Trovido Route
