Alpe Cimbra
Alpe Cimbra is the Trentino highland plateau uniting the municipalities of Folgaria, Lavarone and Luserna, between the Vicenza Pre...
Updated 20 July 2026
Alpe Cimbra
Towns in the area
Discover the territoriesThis season · July · Summer
What to do in Alpe Cimbra now
The story
The story of Alpe Cimbra
Geography and territory
Alpe Cimbra is the plateau stretching across south-eastern Trentino, bordering the province of Vicenza and the Asiago Plateau, with which it shares geology and landscape. It comprises the municipalities of Folgaria, Lavarone and Luserna, spread between 900 and 1,400 metres of altitude, amid spruce forests, meadows and gentle limestone hills. The area is reached from Rovereto and the Vallagarina valley, climbing through Val Terragnolo or the Astico Valley, and is naturally linked to the Lessinia mountains and the Adige Valley. This crossroads position has always made the plateau a place of passage, pasture and, in the twentieth century, a strategic border.
History and Cimbrian identity
The identity of Alpe Cimbra is rooted in the early medieval settlement of Bavarian-speaking colonists, who from the 11th-13th centuries populated the plateau and gave rise to the Cimbrian linguistic island. In Luserna, Trentino's smallest municipality, Cimbrian (Zimbar) is still a living language, safeguarded by the Cimbrian Cultural Institute and told through the Haus von Prükk museum. In the twentieth century the plateau became a First World War battleground: the border between the Kingdom of Italy and the Austro-Hungarian Empire ran here, defended by the Austrian forts of Cherle, Belvedere-Gschwent, Sommo Alto and Dosso delle Somme, now open to visitors and linked by the scenic Strada dei Forti.
Landscape and nature
The landscape of Alpe Cimbra alternates spruce and larch forests, high-altitude pastures and small lakes such as Lake Lavarone and Lake Costa, popular for walks and summer swimming. Mountain huts (malghe) dot the summit plateaus toward Passo Vezzena and Passo Coe, offering views over the Piccole Dolomiti, Pasubio and the Asiago Plateau. Alpine wildlife includes roe deer, red deer and marmots, while a network of trails, including stretches of the Sentiero della Pace (Peace Trail), lets visitors explore on foot or by mountain bike an environment still lightly touched by development, prized for its varied flora and the quiet of its woods.
Villages and places to visit
Folgaria, the main town, spreads out 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 an early twentieth-century holiday destination, once visited by Sigmund Freud. Luserna, perched on a rocky spur, preserves the layout of the Cimbrian village along with the documentation centre dedicated to Lusérn culture. Fort Belvedere-Gschwent now houses the Great War Museum, while the Strada dei Forti links the Austro-Hungarian fortifications scattered across the plateau on foot or by bike, amid views over the Vallagarina and the Asiago Plateau.
Food, wine and traditions
The cuisine of Alpe Cimbra is classic Trentino mountain fare: canederli dumplings, polenta, porcini mushrooms and blueberries gathered in the woods, and cheeses aged in local dairies on the alpine huts. The signature product is Vezzena, a hard cheese named after the plateau and the mountain huts of Passo Vezzena, where cattle graze in summer. Speck, smoked cured meats and tosela cheese, often served with polenta, are also traditional staples. Beyond producing cheese, the malghe offer refreshment to hikers, while village festivals and winter markets in Folgaria and Lavarone keep the plateau's farming and Cimbrian traditions 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
To see
What to see in Alpe Cimbra
Routes · Trovido Route
