For centuries, the forests of Trentino have provided the mountain people with timber to build their homes, wood for heating, but also fruits, leaves, and flowers to be used as food (for people and animals) and as a cure for various diseases and ailments.
In recent decades, these “secondary” uses have been disappearing, thanks to the new modern lifestyle that sees us buying food in supermarkets and treating ourselves with products created by pharmaceutical companies.
But there are still forests where traditions linked to ancient and now almost forgotten uses are still maintained: this is the case of the forests of Palù del Fersina, where the magic of Largà, the precious larch resin, has returned in recent years. It was and is once again collected for numerous uses, not only for healing purposes.
On an easy hike, Paola, a local guide and forestry expert, will take you on an exploration of these woods, teaching you to recognise the larch from other tree species, and she will tell you how the idea of reviving this ancient practice came about, a practice that still allows us to obtain the gold of the forest, the precious Largà.