Luserna
Luserna, called Lusérn in the local Cimbrian tongue, is Trentino's smallest municipality and the last living Cimbrian language isl...
Updated 18 July 2026
This season · July · Summer
What to do in Luserna now
The story
The story of Luserna
Welcome to Luserna, the last Cimbrian island
Luserna sits on a small plateau of the Alpe Cimbra, at over 1,300 metres above sea level, on the border between Trentino and the Asiago Plateau in Veneto. It is Trento province's smallest municipality by population, yet the guardian of a unique identity: Cimbrian, an ancient Germanic-rooted language brought by Bavarian settlers in the Middle Ages, is still spoken here. Walking among the stone houses of the village means stepping into a linguistic and cultural world that survives only in this spot, amid pastures, spruce woods and a horizon opening onto the surrounding mountains.
History: Cimbrian settlers and Great War trenches
Luserna's history is rooted in the Cimbrian colonisation of the plateau, which took place centuries ago and remained isolated from the surrounding valleys, preserving language and customs to this day. The twentieth century marked the village dramatically: lying on the Great War front line between the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Kingdom of Italy, Luserna was almost entirely destroyed by shelling and rebuilt afterwards. The forts and trenches dug into the plateau still tell that story today, making the village a meaningful stop for anyone retracing the memory of the war on the Prealps.
Nature and landscape of the Alpe Cimbra
Luserna is part of the Alpe Cimbra, the plateau that also includes Folgaria and Lavarone, a land of pastures, conifer woods and broad sunlit clearings. Its elevated position offers views stretching from the Valsugana valley to the peaks of the Asiago Plateau, in a landscape that is gentle yet stern, shaped by wind and the changing seasons. In summer, flowering meadows surround the village, while in winter snow turns the plateau into a quiet setting ideal for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing, in keeping with the winter offer of the whole Alpe Cimbra area.
What to do: forts, museums and historic trails
Forte Luserna, built by the Austro-Hungarian army before the Great War to defend the plateau, can be visited today and is one of the main stops for learning about the area's military history. In the village, the Centro Documentazione Luserna gathers testimonies on the language, culture and daily life of the Cimbrian community, while hiking trails link the village to the remains of trenches and pathways dug into the plateau. Walks through the woods let visitors alternate nature and history, with panoramic stops looking towards the Valsugana valley and the Asiago Plateau.
Cimbrian language, culture and traditions
The Cimbrian language spoken in Luserna is a recognised and actively protected linguistic heritage, taught in local schools and used on the village's bilingual signage. The community runs cultural initiatives to keep alive the language and the traditions tied to the pastoral and forestry life that shaped the plateau's economy for centuries. Visiting Luserna also means hearing this rare language in everyday conversation and discovering, through the documentation centre, how a small mountain community managed to preserve such a distinct identity in the heart of the Alps.
Not to be missed
- Forte Luserna, an Austro-Hungarian Great War fortification
- Centro Documentazione Luserna, dedicated to Cimbrian language and culture
- Trails through the plateau's historic trenches and pathways
- Alpe Cimbra views towards the Valsugana valley and the Asiago Plateau
- Cimbrian-language signage and conversation in the village centre
To see
What to see in Luserna
Routes · Trovido Route
