Capriana
Capriana is a small municipality of just over six hundred residents that occupies a singular position in the Trentino landscape: g...
Updated 21 July 2026
This season · July · Summer
What to do in Capriana now
The story
The story of Capriana
Capriana Between the Valle di Cembra and Val di Fiemme
Capriana holds a border position in the heart of central Trentino: geographically it belongs to the upper Valle di Cembra, the narrow valley carved into porphyry rock that closes a little further upstream, near the Stramentizzo narrows, just below the village of Molina di Fiemme. Historically, culturally and administratively, however, the town has always been linked to the Val di Fiemme, of which it forms the south-western edge, about fifteen kilometres from Cavalese, the valley's main centre. The municipal territory, covering just under thirteen square kilometres, includes the main village and the two hamlets of Carbonare and Rover, spread across a slope that climbs from the valley floor up to the woods of Monte Corno. This double belonging, geographical on one side and historical-administrative on the other, makes Capriana a small privileged vantage point on the meeting of two valleys that, although neighbouring, have different landscapes and vocations: the porphyry valley below, the Dolomite valley above.
Woods, Panoramic Views and Outdoor Life
The territory of Capriana is dominated by Monte Corno, the mountain on whose slopes much of the municipal woodland extends, and which gives its name to the Parco Naturale Locale del Monte Corno, a local nature park established to protect rare biotopes, chestnut groves and valuable woodland shared with neighbouring municipalities. From the sunny, exposed slope on which the village stands, the view sweeps across a wide arc of horizon that takes in the Dolomites of Fiemme and, in particular, the outline of the Latemar, one of the most photographed massifs of the entire Dolomite range. A network of marked trails, suited to both experienced hikers and occasional walkers, links the village to the woods above and to the mountain huts, offering routes that are also ideal for mountain biking. In autumn the chestnut and beech woods become a destination for mushroom picking, an activity regulated by municipal permits and part of local culture, while all year round the quiet of Capriana's trails offers a more intimate alternative to the busier destinations of the Val di Fiemme.
Porphyry and Religious Heritage
Like the whole upper Valle di Cembra, the territory of Capriana rests on a bedrock of quartz porphyry, the reddish rhyolite formed around 270 million years ago that has given this part of Trentino its identity, marked by historic quarries and a landscape shaped by stone terracing. The village's religious heritage is preserved in the parish church of San Bartolomeo, dedicated to the patron saint celebrated on 24 August, alongside the Church of the Immaculate in the hamlet of Carbonare and the small chapel of Sant'Anna at Rover. Even the municipal coat of arms, officially recognised in 1930, tells this dual soul of the town: it depicts a silver crosier and sword, point downward, crossed and surmounted by a golden bishop's mitre, symbolising the interweaving of ecclesiastical authority and civil power that shaped the history of these territories for centuries under the Prince-Bishopric of Trento.
The Hamlets, Trails and Nature
Besides the main village, the municipality of Capriana includes the hamlets of Carbonare, called Carbonàie in the local dialect, and Rover, small settlements that retain plain rural architecture and a close relationship with the surrounding woods and meadows. The paths linking the different settlements allow visitors to cross on foot a varied landscape made up of clearings, centuries-old chestnut groves, dry-stone porphyry walls and panoramic resting points overlooking the valley. It is a territory suited to slow tourism, away from the larger flows of the Val di Fiemme, where the same roads once used for work in the woods and mountain pastures are now walked by hikers and mountain-biking enthusiasts. The Parco Naturale Locale del Monte Corno, which extends over the slopes behind the village, complements this network of trails with educational routes dedicated to alpine flora and fauna, making Capriana a peaceful base for those seeking nature without giving up closeness to Fiemme and Cembra.
History, the Venerable Meneghina and Experiences to Live
Capriana became an independent municipality on 16 October 1920, a relatively recent administrative step for a territory with much older roots, tied like the rest of the area to the history of the Prince-Bishopric of Trento. The best-known figure linked to the village, however, is Maria Domenica Lazzeri, born in Capriana itself and declared venerable by Pope Francis in March 2023: her memory is preserved in the Museo Mulino della Meneghina, set up in the old mill owned by her family, which tells both the story of the woman and that of past rural life. Curiously, the village is twinned with the namesake Căpriana in Moldova, famous for its ancient monastery, which is even depicted on a Moldovan banknote, a bond that shows how even a small mountain community can build ties across great distances. Between a visit to the mill-museum, a walk to the panoramic viewpoints over the Latemar and a stop at one of the hamlets' churches, Capriana can be visited in just a few hours, yet it leaves enough time to truly breathe the border atmosphere between Cembra and Fiemme.
Not to be missed
- Panoramic view of the Dolomites of Fiemme and the Latemar from the Capriana slope
- A hike in the Parco Naturale Locale del Monte Corno
- Museo Mulino della Meneghina, dedicated to the venerable Maria Domenica Lazzeri
- The parish church of San Bartolomeo and the churches of Carbonare and Rover
- A walk among the chestnut groves and dry-stone porphyry walls of the Valle di Cembra
To see
What to see in Capriana
Routes · Trovido Route
