Piscine: Hiking and Local History

In Piscine, hiking trails and local history go hand in hand. There are several specific points of interest to help you plan your trip: routes between settlements and through the forest, a viewpoint, a centuries-old chestnut tree, and evidence of past activities and church history. These topics appeal to different interests. The trails lead to named destinations; the De sti ani la memoria collection draws attention to work once done in the village, while Canta della Stella is an annual event. You can therefore explore Piscine according to the focus that suits your trip.

Hiking Trails and Landscape

The Sover e le sue frazioni hiking trail connects Piscine with Sover, Monte Alto and Montesover. It follows paths through the forests of the Alta Val di Cembra. On this route, Piscine is considered the smallest settlement reached. Eight Masi surround the village, some of which have been abandoned. Thus, alongside the forest sections, the Masi and their differing status are among the area’s specific local and landscape features. The route is considered free of particular technical difficulties or dangerous sections. Even so, check current environmental and weather conditions before hiking.

The climb to Maso Monte Alto starts in Piscine on a paved road and then continues along a forest path. The Maso is considered a privileged viewpoint with spectacular views across the Cembra Valley. The Piscine–Sover excursion also includes a visit to a centuries-old chestnut tree called castegnar de la paia. If you choose hikes based on specific destinations, there are two different points of interest here: the viewpoint at Maso Monte Alto and the tree on the excursion to Sover. The Sentiero dei vecchi mestieri descends along a farm road towards the Avisio as far as Pianacci; suitable hiking footwear is required on some sections.

This Sentiero also reaches the village fountain in Piscine, where hikers can take a restful break. If you plan to stop at the fountain, check its condition before your visit; facilities and trail conditions can change.

Collection, Church and Tradition

The De sti ani la memoria collection in Piscine documents the past agrosilvopastoral activities of local families. These included growing grain and grapes, making hay, raising livestock and processing milk. The term brings together activities related to farming, forest use and livestock keeping; the examples given range from cultivation and harvesting to processing. The collection also includes school exercise books from the 1930s. They add another specific record from that period to the accounts of past work.

Church history also includes several distinct dates. Piscine’s first chapel was dedicated to the Madonna delle Grazie. The present-day Chiesa di Santa Barbara was built between 1849 and 1851 in place of the former village church. Its interior paintings are by Carlo Segatta and Oreste Albertini and date to 1937. The construction dates refer to the church, while 1937 refers to the interior paintings. The dedication of the first chapel adds a separate aspect of the village’s religious history to these details about the building and its art.

The Canta della Stella custom has been observed in Piscine every year since 1993, on the eve of the Feast of the Epiphany. If you want to plan your trip around it, check the exact event dates in advance. For this event, the annual date matters; for a hike, the route, terrain and appropriate preparation are the main considerations. The cultural tradition and the different hiking destinations can therefore be considered as distinct reasons for planning a trip.

Discover more destinations: Faver, Pampeago, Folgaria, Vason, Madrano-Canzolino, Norge, Romeno, Pomarolo.

Return to the overview of destinations: Trentino.