Spormaggiore
Spormaggiore is a Trentino municipality of around 1,300 inhabitants, set at 565 metres above sea level in a hinge position between...
Updated 21 July 2026
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The story
The story of Spormaggiore
Between the Val di Non and the Paganella Plateau
Spormaggiore stands at 565 metres above sea level, on a slope that marks the transition between the Val di Non, a broad Trentino valley known for apple growing, and the Paganella plateau, the mountain that overlooks Lake Molveno and separates the valley from the Rotaliana basin. The municipal territory, just over 30 square kilometres, is divided between the main village and six hamlets, including Bèlfort, Fabbrica, Maurina, Meano, Sedriago and Seghe, and borders Molveno, Campodenno, Ton and other neighbouring municipalities of the Val di Non and the Brenta Dolomites. This border position between two very different environments, the orchard-covered valley and the limestone mountain of the Paganella, gives the landscape of Spormaggiore a transitional character, with woods, meadows and slopes that lead the eye from the cultivated valley floor up to the higher ridges.
The Belpark and the Brown Bear Conservation Project
The best-known attraction in Spormaggiore is the Belpark, called the Parco Faunistico (Wildlife Park) until 2023, active since 1994 and dedicated to the conservation of alpine wildlife. The park is home to brown bears, together with wolves, whose pack has grown over the years to more than ten individuals, lynxes, wildcats, otters, foxes, roe deer and nocturnal birds of prey such as eagle owls. The facility is not a simple zoo but a rescue and research centre, which often takes in animals coming from confiscations, closed-down zoos or unsuitable facilities, combining the exhibits with intensive scientific research and environmental education work. The Belpark is linked to the European Life Ursus project, the programme for reintroducing and monitoring the brown bear in the central Alps, run in cooperation with the Adamello-Brenta Nature Park, of which Spormaggiore is one of the main outreach hubs. The visitor route winds through the woods above the village, reachable with a short walk from the centre or from the dedicated car park.
Castel Belfort and the Village's Historical Heritage
The name of the hamlet of Bèlfort recalls the ruins of Castel Belfort, an ancient medieval castle standing within the municipal territory, which underwent restoration work in 2012 to consolidate its surviving structures and make them accessible. A short distance away, in the main village, stands the Corte Franca, a building dating back to the 14th century that today houses the Bear Visitor Centre, dedicated to research and outreach on the great alpine carnivores and the Life Ursus project. The religious heart of the village is marked by two adjoining churches: the older one, dedicated to San Vigilio, houses a depiction of the Last Supper with statues of Saints Peter and Paul, while the church of the Nativity of Mary, which became the parish church in 1875, contains a chapel dedicated to the Madonna delle Grazie. The earliest written records concerning the territory date back to between 1177 and 1184, when the settlement, then called Spaurn, is mentioned in a document connected to the Counts of Appiano and an Augustinian chapter.
The Orchards and the Rural Landscape of the Val di Non
Like much of the Val di Non, the territory of Spormaggiore is also shaped by apple growing, the agricultural activity that transformed the valley's slopes over the course of the twentieth century into an orderly succession of orchards. The main variety grown here is Golden Delicious, the basis of the Val di Non apple, the first Italian fruit and vegetable product to obtain DOP status, largely marketed through the well-known Melinda cooperative. Rows of apple trees line the valley-floor roads and the first slopes, alternating with stretches of mixed woodland climbing toward the Paganella, while at higher altitude the landscape becomes gradually wilder, with coniferous and broadleaf woods sheltering the alpine wildlife that is the star of the nearby Belpark. In spring, the blossoming of the orchards gives the valley one of the most recognisable images of Trentino, while in autumn the harvest still sets the rhythm of life for many families in the village, for whom farming remains a central activity alongside nature-based tourism.
History, Identity and Reasons to Visit
The administrative history of Spormaggiore has gone through several changes: between 1929 and 1947 the municipality was simply called Spor, while in 1928 it temporarily absorbed the territories of Cavedago and Sporminore, which were reconstituted as separate municipalities in 1947. This historical and administrative closeness to Sporminore, a distinct municipality located further north in the Val di Non, reflects the close ties among the villages of the area, even as Spormaggiore retains its own identity, reinforced also by local linguistic traditions linked to the Nones dialect. Today the village combines several reasons to visit: a day at the Belpark among bears and wolves, a walk among the ruins of Castel Belfort, a visit to the Corte Franca and its bear-research activities, a stop at the two churches in the historic centre, and walks among the orchards which, depending on the season, offer blossom or the apple harvest. It is a combination that makes Spormaggiore an interesting stop for anyone visiting the Val di Non and the Paganella with an eye to both nature and local history.
Not to be missed
- The Belpark, home to brown bears, wolves and alpine wildlife
- The Bear Visitor Centre at the 14th-century Corte Franca
- The ruins of Castel Belfort, in the hamlet of the same name
- The Church of San Vigilio with its ancient depiction of the Last Supper
- A walk among the Val di Non orchards toward the first slopes of the Paganella
To see
What to see in Spormaggiore
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