Cavalese

The village of Cavalese (Cavalés in fiemmese dialect) is lying on a sunny terrace in front of the Lagorai chain. It dominates the village the crenellated bell tower of the church of San Sebastiano. The origins of Cavalese are attested in the late bronze age thanks to the presence of a prehistoric fort. In the late Roman age and barbarian age on the nearby hill of San Valerio stood a castelliere which then evolved into a castle and a sanctuary. The Romanisation of the place is further confirmed by the discovery of some ancient coins and by the presence of a necropolis of the VI century. From the XII century the village began its development. Along the banks of the rio Gambis arose mills, sawmills and workshops by blacksmith, for the processing of copper. In the XVI and XVII centuries Cavalese became a place of vacation of the bishops and of the noble Trentino, that you had to build their palaces. The palace of the bishops would later become, in the nineteenth century, the seat of the Magnificent Community. In the eighteenth century was the center of interest for the presence of the painting school of Giuseppe Alberti, in which he learned the art even Michelangelo Unterperger.

From the village depart lifts Alpe Cermis that accompany skiers and hikers to spectacular views of high altitude. The systems allow to reach even the bottom of the valley which in summer is crossed by the trail of the Dolomites and in winter from the track from the bottom of the Marcialonga. Just a few steps from the center there is the Parco della Pieve, with the archpriest church of the Assunta (year 1112) and the "Tour de la Reson", where sat - as in Parliament - the representatives of "the Magnificent Community of Fiemme", the institution which for a thousand years manages the forests of the valley. Guided tours and teatralizzate accompany in Palazzo Magnificent Community with a museum-art gallery and nineteenth-century prisons. Another ancient palace houses the Center of Contemporary Art. Around the town you expend pleasant walks in the nature. Among the natural monuments most admired, the cascade of Cavalese and shaft secular "Pezo of Gazolin".

Between sundials, decorations, gnomes of wood, legnaie and horses, the time stops between the farms of small Masi di Cavalese. In this small village laborious there is a very high concentration of craftsmen and even an accordion repairer. The fraction is 3 kilometers far from Cavalese and extends along the Avisio stream. Masi is also called "the country of the Rainbow" because almost after each rainfall supports its colors on the inhabited center. Walking between the ancient houses and farmhouses and barns you may encounter various farm animals. To admire the eighteenth century church dedicated to the Holy Trinity. Next to the ski lifts Alpe Cermis, the cross-country ski run of the Marcialonga and the cycling track of the Dolomites, Masi is also a point of departure for pleasant excursions into nature. A beautiful promenade, for example, accompanied in locality Salanzada, between fir woods and pastures, until the waterfall of Cavalese. Other tours lead in the savage Lagorai chain.

Immersed in the Lagorai chain, the Alpe Cermis in summer is the gateway to a naturalistic paradise still wild among small alpine lakes, eagles and marmots. When it drops the snow, the pastures are transformed into ski slopes. The longest and most famous is the Olimpia (7,5 km), illuminated in the last stretch even at night. From Cavalese the panoramic gondolas lead to Doss del Laresi where the curious attractions of Cermislandia entertain the children both in summer and in winter. Climb again, first in gondola, then in the chairlift up to Cima Paion to admire a view from dizziness among the Latemar, Catinaccio, Sasso Piatto, the Sassolungo, the Sella Massif, the South wall of the Marmolada, the Pale di S. Martino, the Brenta Group, the Cevedale, the Ortles and the Ötztal Alps. The cuisine of the refuges, particularly cared, offers tasty menus with typical and genuine products. The Alpe Cermis is part of the big Dolomiti Superski (possibility of purchase of one single skipass is valid on 1,200 km of slopes).