Posts Tagged ‘trento’

At the foot of the Dolomites near Bleggio Superiore, the charming village of Rango, with its medieval houses and piazzas linked by covered walkways, is a pleasure to visit at any time of the year.  However during the month of December, Rango becomes enveloped in Christmas magic when it hosts a Christmas market and fair.

Rango is considered one of Italy’s most beautiful villages, and on the run up to Christmas its beauty is enhanced by the presence of all things Christmas.  This is probably the place which put the ‘jingle’ in the classic Christmas song Jingle Bells, as Rango is brimming with Christmas spirit, especially on the 5, 6, 8, 12 and 19 December, when Rango’s cosy covered streets will be filled with stalls selling all manner of winter wonders.

During the Christmast markets many of the village’s inhabitants dress in traditional costume in order to recall the spirit of Christmases past.  Rango itself is covered in Christmas decorations with decorations embellishing balconies and then there are the open doors of the houses in Rango from which the aroma of Christmas treats fills the intimate streets of this mountain village.

Visitors to this Christmas event will be able to sample all manner of Christmas delights, such the local walnut cake made with sweet Bleggia walnuts.  This local cake is served with cafe d’orzo or mulled wine.  Competition to produce the tastiest walnut cake is fierce, and the best of the best of these cakes will be sold at auction, with the proceeds going to charity.

In addition to the walnut cakes and their enticing aroma, local craftsmen and women will be displaying their wares.  Christmas gift ideas will be abundant, as is often the case with Italy’s multitude of Christmas markets and fairs.  The streets of Rango will be a veritable feast for the eyes and for the senses.

As if the food and colourful costumes were not enough, Rango’s Christmas fair will have a musical accompaniment, with local groups playing both Christmas and local classics to add to the suggestive atmosphere of the Rango Christmas festivities.  Christmas melodies played by local musicians on the ‘cornamusa’, the Italian equivalent of Scottish bagpipes, will add to the distinctive flavour of this Christmas event.

On the 12 December the village will dedicate its festivities to the young and the streets of Rango will be filled with street entertainment, and Christmas tales will be told to children.  Back in days gone by, peasants would wrap themselves in straw to keep themselves warm while they worked, and as they worked, they would regale local children with tales of Christmas and local legend.  Rango has always been a magical place.

If you’ve been finding it hard to drum up the right quantity of Christmas spirit this year, then perhaps taking your family to Rango for a few days will help rekindle that traditional Christmas flame.  If this idea appeals, then here is are a couple of places to stay in Trentino, Italy.

The nearest airport is Verona, and a hire car equipped with snow chains is essential if you wish to get the most out of a holiday break in this mountain area of Italy.  Direct flights to Verona are available from London’s Gatwick and Stansted airports.

From the 12 to 14 November in the quaint village of Lomaso in the Italian region of Trentino – home to the Dolomite mountain range – there is the annual potato festival.  The main event is a potato based dinner, with local wines.

During the potato festival in Lomaso visitors will be able to sample a wide range of local dishes based on this nourishing vegetable which is rich in potassium, iron, starch, mineral salts, and vitamins.

On the potato festival dinner menu will be risottos, and potato gnocchi, as well as some more unusual foods such as potato based focaccia and potato polenta.  All of this potato based goodness will be accompanied by high quality regional wines.  Note that if you wish to go to the popular potato festival meal, you will need to book.  The meal, with wine, costs €36 a head.  The meal is in the evening of the 12th and 13th November at 8 pm, and is also repeated on Sunday 14th November at noon.  Places are limited.

This event offers visitors an opportunity to know more about the pototo which was first introduced into Europe around 1580 by Spanish explorers returning from trips to Chile and Peru.  The humble potato is today one of the most widely available foodstuffs in Europe, owing in part to the fact that it can be grown virtually anywhere.

Aside from the Lomaso potato festival, the village is also famous for being the birthplace of noted Italian poet Giovanni Prati.  Those wishing to know more about Prati, a prolfic poet who wrote works such as  Ermenegarda (1841) to the lyrics collected in Psiche (1875) and Iside (1878) will be able to visit the home in which he was born.

Others who are not perhaps as interested in poetry will enjoy exploring the countryside around Lomaso with its castles and breathtaking scenary.  There are also plenty of other picturesque villages to visit in this charming and unspoilt mountain area of northern Italy.

Should you wish to visit Lomaso and the potato festival or simply want to see the impressive Dolomite mountains, here are a couple of places where you can stay: accommodation in Trentino, Italy And if you do book a place to stay, ask your hosts to reserve you a place at the potato festival meal, alternatively try calling 0039 0465 700072, if you know Italian.

On the tracks of the flowers

Guided excursions from Monte Baldo to the small Dolomites.

In the splendid town of Rovereto in the Trento province the initiative “On the tracks of the flowers” will take place till October 2010. The mountains around Rovereto are the first ones to be seen arriving from the plain. In distance of few kilometers the landscapes, the climate and the vegetation change rapidly: in this environment the Azienda per il Turismo suggests guided excursions on the tracks of the flowers in Trentino, to experience in the company of botanical experts and companions from the area.

Il Ventar – where the flowers reflect in the lake. A route to the white tops of the Dolomites with the irresistible view to the Garda Lake from 2000m height.

26^th June Il Monte Altissimo from the south slope: an unusual route. An alternative route to the most beloved top of Monte Baldo follows a path from the south side between Garda Lake and Altopiano di Brentonico.

11^th September Vallarsa: Flower of the trenches The route follows paths that evidenced certain battles during the First World War.

25^th September Val di Gresta and Loppio Lake: Excursion between the history and the nature This is an excursion which uses the occasion to discuss about agriculture and biological products.

9^th October The warm colours of the autumn in the beach grove of Monte Baldo. This route offers the possibility to enjoy the warm beauty of the autumn.

If you want to enjoy the nature’s beauty, I could advise you some Bed & Breakfast in the neighbourhood.