Cristiano Bonino’s nonno (grandfather in Italian) Paolo was born in Trentino, and so he knows the region well. (To give you an idea, Cristiano has at least 50 cousins living in the area!) He is proud to introduce you the beauty, history and culture of this land, after so many summers spent here as a child.
Highlights of the Fermentour includes: visits and tastings of local Slow Food Presidia (worldwide initiatives to support quality production at risk of extinction) and visits to local agriturismi (usually, family-run “farm stays” combining agriculture and tourism). Typically, an agriturismo features room and board in a farmhouse, which has either been partially or totally transformed to provide accommodation and meals.
Our cycling tour offers the best of the Dolomites, both on and off bike, in an area famous for its quality of life and the industrious, active character of its people: a great mix of Italian, Austrian and Ladin cultures.
After the Roman invasion in 15 BC, the control of this region and the rest of the Italian peninsula during barbarian invasions fell to Germanic tribes, until the creation of the Kingdom of Italy in the 8th Century by Charlemagne and the Holy Roman Empire. The Germanic influence in this area continued with the Counts of Tyrol, The House of Habsburg and the Austrian-Hungarian Empire until its annexation by Italy in 1919. Interestingly, Trentino Alto Adige/South Tyrol was the last of the current 20 regions of Italy to be incorporated after World War I.
While Trentino Alto Adige/South Tyrol is both technically and legally a part of Italy, the region’s incorporation came with a good ideal of independence and autonomy after World War II. Divided in two autonomous provinces under two capital cities Trento (Trentino) and Bolzano (Alto Adige-South Tyrol), the people of this region maintain the right make their own laws on a wide range of subjects and to carry out respective administrative functions.
This part of Italy is mostly mountainous and covered by vast forests with several lakes. The second longest river in Italy, the Adige, flows from the Alps through the South Tyrol and down to the Adriatic Sea. Local economy is driven by tourism and the export of hydroelectric power, in addition to production of paper, timber, dairy products, wine, and fruit.
German is pervasive in the South Tyrol, though of course Italian is also spoken, particularly in the capital of Bolzano. Besides the dialects spoken around Trento and elsewhere, the third most common language in the region is Ladin, a Romance language used largely in the Dolomites.
What are you waiting for? Ti aspettiamo! (We are waiting for you!) A presto! (See you soon!)
