Holidays in Dimaro - Dolomiti di Brenta - Val di Sole (Trentino, Italia)

The town of Dimaro, at the foot of the Dolomites, extends partially along the road that goes to Madonna di Campiglio and partially along the road that goes to Passo Tonale. It’s a charming town that together with its two hamlets of Carciato and Folgarida, has a population of almost 1300. Until the sixties, the poor economy of the valley, based on low level agriculture and timber, forced people

to emigrate from Val di Sole. It was thanks to the surrounding territory and its excellent location that in 1965, the Folgarida ski resort, which is a hamlet of Dimaro, began to be constructed. This transformed the town into an interesting tourist destination for both the winter and summer season. This gave way to one of the most famous skiing districts in the entire Alps when the Folgarida slopes were connected to those of Marilleva and Madonna di Campiglio. Today, thanks to the brand new Daolasa cable lift that opened in December 2007, Dimaro is just a few minutes from the slopes of the Skirama Dolomiti Adamello Brenta skiing carousel.

But that’s not all! In June 2008, the Mountain Bike World Championships took place right near Dimaro, in fact the bicycle path that runs along the entire valley, beside the Noce River, passes right through Dimaro. This bicycle path intersects with various stops of the Dolomiti Express train, which offers train + bike service in the summer and train + ski in the winter. Dimaro is also part of the Dolomiti Brenta Bike, a brand new trail especially for those that are never tired of biking. In the surrounding areas of Dimaro you will find many trails, suitable for every level of training, which you can try on a bike or with snowshoes in the winter or by simple going for a walk.


(click to enlarge)

The Val Meledrio is definitely worth mentioning, a picturesque and wild valley filled with brooks and streams that starts from the town. The “Strada dell’Imperatore” (Emperor’s Road), which was an ancient communication route used by the emperor of Austria and Hungary Francesco Giuseppe when he would stay in Madonna di Campiglio (his last stay dates back to 1902), runs through this valley. This route has now become a popular trail that is recommended by the best mountain biking and trekking guidebooks. Val Meledrio is also the door that opens into the Adamello Brenta Natural Park. Here you will find a network of Nordic walking trails that connect to the other towns of the valley and many hidden corners in which nature shows its beauty and charm that have remained untouched through time.

An outline of Dimaro’s history. It is very likely that Dimaro was inhabited in the pre-Roman and Roman age. This was determined after an archaic bronze sword and a coin, dating back to Antonino, were found. The town was called Imaio in documents from 1211 and then villa Jmarii in the middle of the 1300’s. During the medieval and modern age it was part of the Parish and the Gastald of Malè, it then was under the District Judgement of Malé during Austrian rule. It was flooded many times by the Meledrio and Rotian streams, since it lies
between the two. The town was very important because it controlled the road to Madonna di Campiglio. The ancient “casa del Dazio” (customs house) which belonged to the noble de Mazzis family during the 16th century, still exists today. It is definitely worth visiting the San Lorenzo church, in which a piece of a mural dating back to the Carolingian age was found. In the apsidal area, it is possible to see a part of the frescoes from 1488 by Giovanni and Battista Baschenis. The seventeenth-century wooden altars were carved in the artisan Ramus and Bezzi workshops in Val di Sole. The mural paintings date back to 1937 and are works of art by the Trentino, Matteo Tevini (1869-1946).

Our hotel can become your home in the heart of Val di Sole, a green oasis in the Trentino region, surrounded by some of the most famous mountain chains in the Alpine arch, the Brenta Dolomites, the Adamello-Presanella massif and the Ortles-Cevedale group. The rare beauty of the landscape offers a wide range of natural environments: from unlimited forests to steep and rocky peaks; admiring these towers made by nature and letting yourself be enraptured by their charm and beauty will make you feel part of a better world. Alpine lakes, streams, waterfalls, glaciers will be the destination point of an infinite number of excursions and crossings that can please everyone’s likes and preparation level. A land of adventure and nature: from down in the valley and up to the mountain pastures and even further up to the mountain peaks that surround them, many of which are higher than 3000m, Val di Sole has magnificent landscapes to be revealed in addition to the many activities that you will discover during your vacation: starting from the more classic activities like hiking, fishing, minigolf, tennis, archery, horse-back riding, skiing, snowshoeing, Nordic walking, mountain biking, snowboarding, rafting to the more daring activities like rock or ice climbing, canyoning, tarzaning, ponting and hydrospeed. With us, you will discover how to try these activities in complete safety and therefore experience all that Val di Sole has to offer.

Val di Sole has the perfect place for those that prefer to come into contact with Nature in a calmer and quieter setting: there are two protected parks within the area: the Adamello-Brenta Natural Park and the Stelvio National Park.

The Adamello Brenta Natural Park. An extraordinarily rich and varied area due to the fact that it is made of two completely diverse geological worlds: towards the west, the Trentino part of the Adamello-Presanella massif is included in the Park, the realm of fresh water: magnificent glaciers, rushing streams, spectacular waterfalls, dozens of small enchanted lakes. Towards the east, it encompasses the Brenta Dolomites: fantastic natural features that follow one after the other including rocky spires, towers and enormous cliffs. The varieties of flora on these mountains are quite numerous and the wildlife is equally extraordinary: chamois, deer, roe deer, eagles, mountain goats, foxes, badgers, martens, woodgrouse, woodchucks, ptarmigans and many other big and small

animals. The Adamello Brenta Natural Park is the largest natural protected area in Trentino and is also known for being the last Alpine area in which the Brown Bear has survived, therefore becoming the Park’s symbol. Our staff organizes guided outings in the Park, leaving directly from the hotel both during the winter and the summer, don’t miss them!
The Stelvio Natural Park. It is the largest natural protected area in the Alpine arch and it completely encompasses the Ortles-Cevedale massif. Access to the park in Val di Sole is through two valleys, Peio and Rabbi. These two valleys, that still maintain their rural traditions, both have

Thermal Spas which are famous for their special springs that are rich in carbon dioxide and iron. There are a great variety of plants, flowers and minerals within the Park in addition to the numerous protected species such as the ermine, golden eagle, and the most majestic predatory bird of the Alps, the lammergeyer. Great importance is given to the animal kingdom and this can be seen at the Wildlife Area that was created for deer and roe deer, the Stablet Center that is completely dedicated to the marmot and the Malga Talé trail that allows visitors to discover the world of mysterious wild birds. There are 15 different outings, starting from the bottom of the valley all the way up to the glaciers, all with a different theme while various excursions during the day and at night, are also provided by the Park’s Guides both during the winter and the summer. A definite must to try!

An outline of Trentino’s history. The first prehistoric findings date back to between 9000 and 4500 b.C. but the history of this community begins to take shape only after Christianity begins to set into the valleys. The Goth, Lombard and Frank domination that all took place within three centuries, left Trentino with a heterogeneous culture. In 774, the transformation in Marca tridentina and the subsequent incorporation of the Holy Roman Empire allowed Trentino the possibility to acquire the necessary foundations to form an institution, which was only beginning during the year 1000, which would dominate Trentino history for more than 800 years: the Prince-bishop of Trento. In 1803, Trentino was occupied by the Austrian troops, therefore ending the prince-bishop rule. During the following years, Trentino was under various dominations: Bavarian, Italian and once again Austrian. During WWI the “Trentino front” was created in the mountains, which also included Val di Sole. Various forts from the war still exist today near Passo Tonale and Peio and are open to visitors. In 1918, with the fall of the main empires, the

the war ended and Italian troops could once again return to Trento. A result of Trentino’s difficult history and location is its special administrative charter that was approved in 1948 and then modified in 1972, which gives Trentino autonomous governance for certain conditions and laws.