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Valle del Chiese is a vast area between Sella di Bondo (the watershed between the Chiese River and the Sarca River) and Lake Idro. It is a suburban valley, far from large inhabited centers, halfway from Trento and Brescia. The museum, distributed throughout the territory, is aimed at preserving the popular tradition and the historical evidence, as well as the peasant culture in the woods and the meadows, the work of man, and the unaltered symbiosis between nature and the local landscape.

There are four suggested paths:

The Path of Memory: it features the history of significant events and characters, through archaeological finds dating back to 3.500 years ago; it also includes the Castles and Lodronian Residences, the Austro-Hungarian fortifications of the Great War, a monumental cemetery, the Italian and Austrian trenches, and the WWI Museum.

The Path of Work: it’s aimed at recovering the ancient crafts that, until the second postwar period, proved vital to the local economy, but also the more recent activities, such as the cultivation of small fruits and vines (Vitis vinifer ); this path also includes some interesting insights on the typical local cuisine.

The Nature Trail: it explores an incredible biodiversity concentrated in a relatively small space. There are marsh plants, pines, oaks, downy oaks (Quercus pubescens), Spanish broom ( Spartium junceum), and chestnut trees.
Higher up, visitors can admire maples and golden chain trees (LaburnumLarix decidua), mountain pines (Pinus mugo), and rhododendrons. The local fauna proves just as interesting, including ducks, ptarmigans, and white hares.

The Art Path: it leads to the discovery of artistic treasures, such as the various churches, with their different architectural styles, several beautiful frescoes, altarpieces, canvases, wooden works, and exquisitely crafted silverware. Closely linked to ecclesiastical institutions, there are also many examples of peasant art, as well as prominent displays of ingenuity and construction skills applied to private residences and more complex urban aggregations.

This post is also available in: Italiano (Italian)