Palù del Fersina
Palù del Fersina, in Mòcheno Palai en Bersntol, is the highest and most inland municipality in the Mòcheni Valley (Bersntol), the...
Ενημερώθηκε στις 21 Ιουλίου 2026
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Η ιστορία
Η ιστορία του/της Palù del Fersina
Palù del Fersina, at the top of the Mòcheni Valley
Palù del Fersina occupies the highest and most inland position in the Mòcheni Valley, in Mòcheno Bersntol, the side valley that rises northwest from Valsugana to meet the southern foothills of the Lagorai group. The municipality, at 1,360 meters above sea level, covers an area of approximately 16.7 square kilometers and borders Baselga di Piné, Bedollo, Fierozzo, Sant'Orsola Terme, Telve, Telve di Sopra, and Torcegno, thus encountering both the Mòcheni Valley and the Piné plateau and the Valsugana. The inhabited area, gathered around the historic center, is surrounded by coniferous forests, meadows, and pastures that progressively rise to the rocks and alpine lakes of the Lagorai. Being the highest and most isolated village in the valley, Palù has developed an economy over the centuries linked to pastoralism, forest exploitation, and, originally, mining activity, maintaining a close connection with the mountain environment that still characterizes the landscape and daily life of the community today.
The Mòcheno community and language
Palù del Fersina is one of the three municipalities, along with Fierozzo and Frassilongo, where Mòcheno is still spoken, an ancient Bavarian-Tyrolean dialect brought to the valley in the Middle Ages by settlers and miners from the German-speaking area to work the local mines. In 2001, the census recorded that 184 out of 195 residents, or 94.4 percent, declared themselves Mòcheno speakers, a very high percentage that testifies to how much the language has remained alive precisely in Palù, more than in the other centers of the valley. The Mòcheno community, about 1,600 speakers in Palù, Fierozzo, Frassilongo, and Sant'Orsola Terme, is recognized as a historical linguistic minority by the Autonomy Statute of Trentino-Alto Adige and protected by provincial law no. 6 of June 19, 2008, alongside the Ladin and Cimbrian minorities. The Mòcheno Cultural Institute, the Bersntoler Kulturinstitut, is based in Palù, promoting research, teaching, and enhancement of the valley's language and traditions, from bilingual toponymy to school projects, a cultural reference point for the entire minority.
The Palù Mine: Gruab va Hardimbl
Just above the village, in the Erdemolo locality at about 1,700 meters above sea level, is the Palù Mine, officially called the Erdemolo Mine and known in Mòcheno as Gruab va Hardimbl. Active roughly between the 15th and mid-17th centuries, the mine was exploited to extract copper, silver, and lead by specialized miners, the so-called canòpi, who came from Bohemia and Tyrol, bringing with them extraction techniques and, in part, the same Germanic language that gave rise to Mòcheno. Today, the ancient tunnels are open to the public with guided tours, in small groups of up to twelve people, who descend into the underground where the temperature remains constant around eight degrees even in summer. Tours take place in the summer season, roughly from June to September, with full, reduced, and family ticket prices. Accompanying the mine, in the village, in the Paoar locality, is the S Pèrgmandlhaus Museum, dedicated to the legendary figure of the Pergmandl, the little mine spirit of Mòcheno tradition.
Mòcheni farms, Lagorai and nature
Around Palù del Fersina, the rural landscape still preserves the traditional Mòcheno farmsteads, called 'der hoff' in dialect, wooden and stone constructions that for centuries have been the center of economic and family life in the valley, with stables, haylofts, and dwellings gathered into a single functional unit for the mountain economy. Numerous trails start from Palù, leading up towards the Lagorai group, the mountain range that closes the valley upstream with peaks, alpine lakes, and wide pasture areas: among the most popular destinations are Lago di Erdemolo, reachable with a medium-difficulty hike, and Portela, the pass that connects the valley with the neighboring slopes of the Lagorai. These paths, once used by miners and shepherds, are now frequented by hikers seeking unspoiled environments, spruce and larch woods, and panoramas stretching from Valsugana to the Dolomites of Fiemme and Fassa. Nature, along with language, remains Palù's other great heritage.
History and experiences to live
The name Palù appears in 1293, as 'mons Paludis', a Latin toponym referring to a marshy place, which later became 'Palai' in Mòcheno; colonization dates back to settlers from Frassilongo, and as early as 1324, farmsteads and families were documented as permanently settled in the territory, while in 1533 the Germanized form 'Palay' appears. In the following centuries, the mining economy gave way to mountain agriculture and pastoralism, but the isolated position and high altitude made life in Palù difficult, pushing generations towards emigration: the population, which numbered 413 residents in 1921, fell to 195 in 2001 and stands today at around 170 inhabitants. In the village, you can visit the church of Santa Maria Maddalena, a 14th-century building with a wooden shingle roof and an onion-domed bell tower, which celebrates its patronal feast on July 22nd. Among the still-living traditions, the Mòcheno carnival stands out, with the figures of the bètscho, the bètscha, and the Oiertroger, who go from house to house in auspicious rituals related to fertility and a good harvest.
Not to be missed
- Palù Mine (Gruab va Hardimbl) at Erdemolo, with guided tours of the tunnels
- Museo S Pèrgmandlhaus, dedicated to the mine spirit of Mòcheno tradition
- Church of Santa Maria Maddalena, with its shingle roof and onion-domed bell tower
- A hike to Lake Erdemolo and toward the Portela pass, on the Lagorai foothills
- Istituto Culturale Mòcheno, to discover the language and traditions of the Bersntol
Αξιοθέατα
What to see in Palù del Fersina
Routes · Trovido Route
