Pellizzano
Pellizzano is a municipality in the Val di Sole, in Trentino, set along the course of the Noce torrent in the western part of the...
Updated 21 July 2026
This season · July · Summer
What to do in Pellizzano now
The story
The story of Pellizzano
Pellizzano in the Val di Sole, along the Noce
Pellizzano lies in the western part of the Val di Sole, the Trentino valley carved by the Noce torrent, which rises from the glaciers of the Ortles-Cevedale group and flows down toward the Val di Non. The municipality, set at 925 metres above sea level about 40 kilometres from Trento, was formed by the union of the old communities of Pellizzano, Castello and Termenago: the main village occupies the valley floor along the course of the Noce, while the two hamlets sit on the northern slopes, among meadows, woods and scattered farmsteads. The municipal territory, covering more than 48 square kilometres, borders Rabbi, Peio, Mezzana, Vermiglio, Ossana and Pinzolo, a position that places it at the heart of one of the richest alpine areas of western Trentino, squeezed between the Brenta Dolomites to the south and the Ortles-Cevedale peaks to the north.
The Church of San Rocco and the Frescoed Sacred Heritage
The heart of Pellizzano's sacred heritage is the church of the Nativity of Mary, a building of medieval origin already documented in 1265 and consecrated in 1474, which preserves one of the most important fresco cycles in the Val di Sole, the work of the renowned family of itinerant painters known as the Baschenis, active between the 15th and 16th centuries. Simone Baschenis signed the decoration of the lateral portico in 1533, with a refined Annunciation in the tympanum, while Giovanni and Battista Baschenis frescoed the right nave wall with rows of saints arranged in two registers. Among the altars, the one dedicated to Saint Anthony stands out, housing a 17th-century altarpiece depicting saints Rocco, Sebastiano and Antonio Abate, traditionally invoked against epidemics: devotion to San Rocco, protector of travellers and against contagion, also returns in a chapel dedicated to him in the cemetery of the hamlet of Termenago, testimony to a popular piety widespread throughout the valley.
Skiing and the Outdoors between Marilleva and Folgarida
Pellizzano is also a gateway to the Folgarida-Marilleva ski area, linked to the Madonna di Campiglio lifts and the Brenta Dolomites, which in winter draws skiers from across the valley thanks to slopes for every level and fast connections to the neighbouring villages. The municipality also holds a particular sporting vocation linked to ski jumping: in Termenago stand two training hills, HS 21 and HS 38, joined in 2018 by a new HS 66 facility usable all year round, which have raised generations of young athletes. In summer the same slopes open up to a slower kind of hiking tourism, with trails climbing from the farmsteads toward the alpine huts and high-altitude pastures, offering privileged views over the Brenta chain and the peaks of the Ortles-Cevedale group.
The Noce, the Parks and Nature
The Noce torrent, which crosses the valley floor at Pellizzano, is the natural element that unifies the whole Val di Sole: its waters, fed by the glaciers of the Cevedale, hosted the world canoe and kayak championships in 1993 and remain today the stage for rafting and inflatable-boat descents practised throughout the valley. Near the village lies the small Lago dei Caprioli, a destination for walks and quiet stops immersed in greenery. The municipal territory also falls within the sphere of two large protected areas, the Stelvio National Park to the north and the Adamello-Brenta Nature Park to the south, two green lungs that hold glaciers, coniferous woods and alpine wildlife including chamois, deer and, in the more remote areas, the brown bear.
History, Farmsteads and Valley Life
The earliest documentary traces of Pellizzano date to 1211, when a deed mentions 'Bertoldi, fratris eius de Plezano': a medieval origin also confirmed by the nearby church of the Nativity of Mary. The three once-independent communities of Pellizzano, Castello and Termenago merged over the course of the twentieth century to form today's municipality, each hamlet nonetheless keeping its own identity in its patron saints and in the small churches of San Nicolò in Termenago and San Donato in Castello. The traditional economy, based on livestock farming, mountain agriculture and forestry, can still be recognised in the farmsteads scattered across the slopes, some still inhabited or restored for diffused hospitality, while today it coexists with tourism active all year round and with renewable energy community projects launched together with the neighbouring municipalities of Ossana and Vermiglio, a sign of a valley that looks to the future without losing its bond with the land.
Not to be missed
- The church of the Nativity of Mary with the Baschenis frescoes and the altar of San Rocco
- The San Rocco chapel in the cemetery of the hamlet of Termenago
- The Termenago ski jumping hills (HS 21, HS 38 and the new HS 66)
- A walk to Lago dei Caprioli and along the course of the Noce
- A hike toward the Stelvio and Adamello-Brenta parks, with access to the Marilleva-Folgarida ski lifts
To see
What to see in Pellizzano
Routes · Trovido Route
