Carisolo
Carisolo is a municipality in the Val Rendena, in Trentino, standing at roughly 800 metres above sea level at the entrance to Val...
Updated 21 July 2026
This season · July · Summer
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The story
The story of Carisolo
Carisolo in the Val Rendena, at the Gateway to Val Genova
Carisolo stands at roughly 800 metres above sea level in the upper Val Rendena, the Trentino valley that climbs from the Sarca valley floor toward the great Adamello and Presanella massifs. The municipal territory borders Caderzone Terme, Giustino, Ossana, Pinzolo and Vermiglio, and lies just minutes from Pinzolo and the renowned Madonna di Campiglio, two of the best-known tourist destinations in western Trentino. Carisolo occupies a distinctive position as the gateway to Val Genova, the side valley that opens westward toward the Adamello glacier. It is no coincidence that local literature, in a novel by writer Stefano Squassina set in the village during the Great War, describes Carisolo as the last settlement of the Val Rendena, almost an outpost between the inhabited valley floor and the wild high-altitude nature protected by the Adamello-Brenta Park.
The Church of Santo Stefano and the Baschenis' Dance of Death
Above the course of the Sarca river, on a rocky spur that some hypotheses suggest once hosted a prehistoric fortified settlement, stands the church of Santo Stefano, today the village's cemetery church. Two chapels stood on the site in the early Middle Ages, one dedicated to Saint Michael the Archangel; the present building is documented from 1244 as property of a group of clerics and was rebuilt in Romanesque forms, later reworked in Gothic style. On the southern wall, sheltered by a wide roof overhang, unfolds the masterpiece that made the church famous: the Dance of Death painted in 1519 by Simone II Baschenis, a painter of Bergamo origin, as his signature on the fresco records. The two-tiered composition alternates figures of the living with skeletons in a memento mori addressed to every social class, while the lower register depicts the seven deadly sins. The fresco cycle is completed by a Last Supper attributed to Antonio Baschenis, a Saint Christopher on the outer facade, and a scene, painted in 1534, of Charlemagne's legendary visit to the valley.
Val Genova and Its Waterfalls
From Carisolo, at 808 metres above sea level, opens the access to Val Genova, a glacial valley about twenty kilometres long, hemmed in between the Adamello and Presanella massifs. The valley's territory is divided among six municipalities and a separate body managing common land, with Strembo holding the largest share, more than half, from Ponte Rosso to Malga Bedole; Carisolo nonetheless remains the main entry point into the valley. Long known as the valley of waterfalls, Val Genova owes its name to a series of spectacular cascades, including the Cascata di Nardis, one of the highest in Trentino, along with the Lares, Folgorida, Casöl, Pedrùc, Stablèi and Mandron waterfalls. Woods of spruce, larch, beech and birch cover the slopes up to about two thousand metres, while the absence of ski facilities, due to avalanche risk, has kept the environment nearly untouched; along the trails one still finds remnants of the Great War, such as Austrian cemeteries and memorials near the Folgorida waterfall, testimony to the former Austro-Hungarian border.
Adamello-Brenta Nature Park and the Outdoors
Most of Carisolo's territory falls within the Parco Naturale Adamello-Brenta, the largest protected area in the province of Trento, which stretches between the glaciers of the Adamello and the dolomitic walls of the Brenta group. From Carisolo, trails lead toward some of the park's most beloved destinations, such as the Cornisello lakes, Lago Nero and the Cascata della Canavaccia waterfall, as well as the path climbing to the Eremo di San Martino, at 1,226 metres, documented since 1312 and still today a destination for pilgrimage and scenic walks. Above the village rises Monte Lancia, at 2,318 metres, while further west the municipal territory fades into the high altitudes of the Adamello. The proximity to Pinzolo and Madonna di Campiglio, reference resorts for alpine skiing and for summer hiking in the Brenta group, rounds out Carisolo's offer with lifts, ski runs and a network of trails that guides visitors from the valley floor up to the peaks, in a territory where protected nature coexists with mountain tourism well established across every season.
History and Experiences
The history of Carisolo has been marked by dramatic events that repeatedly erased its original appearance: the fire of 5 August 1790 destroyed the village in a single hour, causing six casualties, while the fire of 1873, caused by a lightning strike, left only three houses standing. During the First World War the village found itself on the front line until 2 November 1918, an episode that inspired Stefano Squassina's novel dedicated to the community. Under fascism, in 1928, Carisolo was merged with Pinzolo and Giustino, only to regain municipal autonomy in 1952. Today this history of resilience coexists with a tourism economy rooted in the mountains: a visit to the church of Santo Stefano and its frescoes is often combined with a hike to the entrance of Val Genova, a climb to the Eremo di San Martino, or a day among the trails and lifts of nearby Pinzolo, forming an itinerary that brings together art, historical memory and protected nature.
Not to be missed
- The church of Santo Stefano with the Dance of Death by Simone II Baschenis
- The Last Supper and the scene of Charlemagne's legendary visit among the church's frescoes
- A hike to the entrance of Val Genova toward the Cascata di Nardis
- A climb to the Cornisello lakes and Lago Nero in the Adamello-Brenta Park
- A walk to the Eremo di San Martino, above Carisolo
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What to see in Carisolo
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