Val di Non

In addition to the Noce River, in Val di Non the Novella stream provides spectacular passages between rocks sculpted by the shaping force of water. In recent centuries, the undulating, terraced hills of Anaunia have become orchards, tended in every detail by the skill and perseverance of farmers. Fruit is the mainstay of the valley's agriculture, with apples increasingly joining other types of fruit, starting with cherries.

A large cooperative world made up of small producers and first- and second-tier consortia. Golden and Renetta are the queens, but more and more fragrant, sweet and crisp varieties are being grown to satisfy the tastes of the most refined and demanding consumers.

The dairies of Val di Non produce the delicious Trentingrana: a hard, aged cheese whose typical wheels weigh about 37 kg. Needless to say, it is unbeatable when eaten with apples. The typical sausage is mortandèla, - not to be confused with Emilian mortadella - made from the leaner parts of the pig and its liver and mixed with spices and wine into small, lightly smoked patties.

The valley's relaxing landscape combines agritourism and slow tourism in a harmonious integration of agriculture, leisure and tourism development. Walks through orchards, hikes with little difference of altitude in the cool forest or across sunny meadows are within everyone's reach. The panorama is dominated by the rocky mountains of the Brenta Group to the west: they overlook the idyllic Lake Tovel, world famous because until the 1960s its waters were reddened by a particular microorganism. The wild Maddalene Mountains watch over the northern shore and the undulating Predaia plateaus close the perspective to the east, behind two of the most original destinations in the entire Alpine arc: Castel Thun, a castle on a hill near Vigo di Ton, fortified and crenellated, with period furnishings inside-and the striking shrine of San Romedio, the hermit saint and friend of the bear, who retreated to a rocky outcrop in an enchanted, rugged valley furrowed by fresh waters. Today, a collection of small churches built on top of each other offers a surprising and graceful religious architecture unique in Europe. As unique as the Val di Non.