T

he Fiemme Valley is typical of the eastern Trentino region. Most of its mountains are covered with vast forests, and the valleys wealth is derived from lumber. The most important mountains are the Dolomite peaks of Latemar on one side, and the porphyry rock of Lagorai on the other. The characteristic valley of the river Travignolo starts from the gates of Predazzo, flows eastward toward Passo Rolle, through the marvelous forest of Paneveggio, bordering the famous Dolomite group of Pale di San Martino. The name Latemar seems to ahve come from Laitemar, the name of a local shepherds hut, while Lagorai, refers to the numerous lakes (about 98) of the area.

The Mountains of the Fiemme

The small Dolomite group of Latemar was explored toward the middle of the nineteenth century. The first ascent was made by Anton Grabmayr of Bolzano in 1852 who climbed Il Palon. A few years later, the geologist Ferdinand von Richtoften climbed several of the peaks in the course of his studies. The Fiemme Valley, in fact, had been noted in the early 1800s because of its particular geologic formations. Giuseppe MarzariPencati, from Vicenza, published a book in 1819, in which he described these particular formations. IN the Canzoccoli zone, near Predazzo, the granite layer is superimposed on a layer of limestone, a fact which aroused great interest from the European scientific community. As a result, the most famous European geologists began arriving at Predazzo - Leopold von Buch, Alexander von Humboldt, etc. Noting the influx of scientists, a citizen of Predazzo, Michele Giacomelli, decidded to open an inn to provide lodging for these new tourists. The inn Nave dOro opened in 1820 and became one of the best in the whole Dolomite region.

fontane where one can find shelter in case of bad weather. There are also few ruges in the Logarai region, but on the Fiemme side there are the Rifugio Cauriol, Rifugio Laghi di Colbricion and the Rifugio Refavaie. There are many trails, meticulously maintained by the SAT agency, both in the Latemar and the Lagorai areas. There are itineraries for every level of hiking skills -from families with children up to expert hikers. The southern part of the Val di Fiemme borders on the natural Park of Monte Corno, founded by the Province of Bolzano. This park, th enearby Paneveggio Park, and the wild area of Lagorai, have allowed many animals to thrive there. Deer are especially prevalent, so much so that a deer has become the symbol of the Pangeveggio Park.

The principal peaks of the Latemar are: Cimon (9337 feet), Torri di Latemar (9232 feet), Torre Christomannos (9180 feet), Schenon (9180 feet) and Paion (9186 feet). The highest peak in the Lagorai group is Cima Cece (9054 feet), followed by Cima Laste dele Sute (8583 feet) and Cima delle Stellune (8547 feet). Riccardo Decarli (Biblioteca della montagna-SAT, Trento) Ricardo knows the mountains that he presents to us first hand. Hew just published Guida ai Rifugi del Trentino, where he describe the 151 rifugi in the Trentino. The book is available from Panorama di Trento: editrice_panorama@iol.it (www.panoramalibri.it)

The Lagorai area, with peaks less than 9000 feet high, did not attract the mountain climbers. Instead it became a heaven for hikers, and, in the winter, for Alpine skiing. Here there is no history of expert climbers. Rather, it was the shepherds who first climbed most of the peaks. The only refuge in the Latemarzone is the Rifugio Torre di Pisa at an altitude of 8780 feet. It was opened in 1980. At a short distance from the refuge may be found a characteristic rock tower, over 60 feet high, and leaning just like the Leaning Tower of Pisa. In the woods above Predazzo, in the Boscampo locality, there is a characteristic wooden sheep station known as Bait delle 32

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