Legends

The White Lady

The story of the White Lady is one of the most famous legends of Valsugana — a tale that weaves together beauty, sorrow, and a deep longing for freedom. The legend transcends the allure of ancient stones, turning Castel Pergine into more than just a historic site: it becomes a magical place, a portal to a past filled with emotions and stories that still echo within its walls.

According to the tale, a woman mistreated by the castle’s tyrannical lord threw herself from a window to reclaim her freedom, embracing death as her only escape. Since then, she is said to appear as a vengeful spirit wandering the halls on full moon nights — a pale shadow in a white gown, her voice a melancholy song of liberation.

Although there are no canonical artworks depicting her directly, the spirit of the White Lady is often evoked in popular stories and during events such as the Medieval Festival, appearing as a glowing presence, a mournful wail, or a restless soul still searching for peace within the castle walls..

The Ghosts of Siccone II and His Knights

A mysterious aura has surrounded the Magnifica Corte of Caldonazzo for centuries. On the darkest nights, when the moon hides behind the mountains, locals say they can see shadows of knights carrying burning torches — the restless spirits of Siccone II’s soldiers, who fell in battle against the Vicentines in 1385. They wander in search of the “keys to Paradise,” the only way to find eternal rest.

Their lord, Siccone II of Caldonazzo, was known as a cruel and violent man, feared by his own people. Old and gravely ill, he withdrew to his castle, where he died without confessing his sins. Since then, legend says his ghost roams the walls in torment, condemned to atone for his deeds.

Between history and myth, the figure of Siccone II remains one of the most haunting and fascinating of Trentino’s medieval past.

The Dragon of Lake Levico

It is said that a dragon once dwelled in the waters of Lake Levico. According to the legend, around the year 1500 the creature terrorized the nearby village, demanding animal sacrifices and threatening to claim human victims.

Salvation came with the arrival of Sir Jaques de Laselva, a brave knight clad in shining armor and riding a white steed. When the dragon emerged from the lake, the knight did not slay it, but subdued it through the power of words and faith. He forbade it to ever feed on human flesh again, condemning it to live peacefully in the lake’s depths.

To seal his vow, the knight struck the ground with his lance, and a spring burst forth — the same stream that still nourishes the valley today. Refusing any reward, he disappeared into the mist, leaving behind the memory of an act of courage and compassion.

Lake Caldonazzo and Its Legends

The Poor Wanderer
Long ago, where the waters of Lake Caldonazzo now shimmer, there once stood two prosperous villages: Susa and Caldòn. Their inhabitants were wealthy and proud — so much so that they forbade charity to the poor.

One day, a hungry traveler asked for shelter. He was turned away by all but a widow and her young son. Before leaving, the man warned them: “Stay in your house, whatever happens tonight.” At nightfall, a relentless downpour fell from the sky, submerging homes and fields, erasing both villages. By dawn, a vast lake gleamed in their place — and only the widow’s house, resting on the shore, was spared. It became the first dwelling of the new Lake Caldonazzo.

A Curiosity
The name of the nearby village Calceranica is said to come from a local anecdote: when asked what he carried in his stocking (calza), a man replied “frogs” (rane). Thus the name Calza-ran-ega — literally, “stocking of frogs.”

Echoes from the Past

The Little Church of San Cristoforo al Lago

The Church of San Cristoforo is one of the oldest in the Pergine area, documented as early as 1215, though its origins are believed to be even older. It stands on a small hill that was once surrounded by the lake’s waters — a place tied to fishing and to the daily life of the nearby villages of Ischia and Canale.

According to a tradition recorded in the 17th century, a Roman temple dedicated to Diana, goddess of the hunt and nature, once stood on this site. This legend is supported by archaeological finds: in 1762 a circular tomb containing ashes and ancient relics was unearthed, along with traces of frescoes (later covered in 1703) depicting the goddess with her nymphs.

During the Middle Ages, the church was entrusted to a hermit custodian. From the 15th century onward, it passed under the care of the parish priest of Pergine, who maintained it in exchange for fishing rights and agricultural tithes.

After centuries of neglect and even profane use, the building underwent several restorations. Despite these changes, the little church still preserves its timeless charm — a sacred place suspended between history, mythology, and nature.

The Origins of Levico

The area of Levico Terme has been inhabited since the Bronze Age, as proven by numerous archaeological finds. The town’s name may derive from the Latin expression laevus vicus, meaning “village on the left bank” (of the Brenta River), although some modern scholars suggest an even older, pre-Latin origin.

In 1858, at the site known as “Capitelo del Prà” near the railway station, Roman tombs were discovered — including a large limestone sarcophagus. Levico also lay along the ancient Roman road that connected Feltre to Trento through the Valsugana valley.

Valsugana, Land of Art

Where the landscape captivates the gaze

In the folds of the Valsugana, a land of silent passages and changing lights, artists were born who knew how to look beyond appearances, giving the world intimate, powerful and personal visions.

Let’s get to know some of them…

Orazio Gaigher, Selfportrait

Orazio Gaigher

Orazio Gaigher, born in Barco di Levico in 1870, abandoned medicine to follow the call of painting. A cultivated traveller, he brought to canvas the luminous gentleness of French plein air, influenced by Renoir and Central European Impressionism. His female figures, as in Friends at Tea (1920–25), seem to emerge from a suspended time, immersed in bourgeois calm and quietude, while his portraits and rural scenes reveal his brilliant mastery of colour.

Orazio Gaigher, Friends at Tea, 1920-25. Oil on canvas, 77 x 64,5 cm

Giuseppe Angelico Dallabrida

Giuseppe Angelico Dallabrida, The Displaced, 1915-18. Oil on board, 23 x 50 cm

Next to him — almost as a counterpoint — stands the more restless and lyrical brush of Giuseppe Angelico Dallabrida, born in Caldonazzo in 1874. Far from academies and rhetoric, his painting becomes a whisper, an evocation. In his landscapes, one does not seek a view, but an emotion: patches of colour vibrate and suggest more than they show. In The Displaced (1915-18), the drama of captivity dissolves into visual poetry. His is a painting made of silences and fades, evolving towards an almost abstract form, where the memory of Valsugana becomes pictorial substance.

Guido Polo

Guido Polo, Portrait of a Woman in Burano, 1976. Oil on canvas-mounted board, 70 x 50 cm

Another powerful voice is that of Guido Polo, born in Borgo Valsugana in 1898. His painting, matured between Munich and Trento, draws on Romanesque spirituality and a restrained modernity, free of excess. Hollowed faces, eyes that do not seek the viewer but look through them: in works such as Figure (1951) or Portrait of a Woman in Burano (1976), he tells of everyday life with an almost sacred intensity. In his watercolours and engravings, Trento becomes an inner reflection — a city of the soul more than of the gaze.

Eugenio Prati

Eugenio Prati

No less inspired was Eugenio Prati, born in Caldonazzo in 1842, a great interpreter of rural Trentino life. With fresh and intimate brushstrokes, he depicted the daily life of peasants, women at fountains, children in courtyards — revealing the simple poetry of living. His portraits and landscapes are windows onto a world of waiting, silence, and light filtered through the foliage.

Eugenio Prati, At the fountain, 1883. Oil on canvas, 46,5 x 30,5 cm

Tullio Garbari

Tullio Garbari

A wholly different energy flows through the work of Tullio Garbari, born in Pergine Valsugana in 1892, a restless spirit of the early twentieth century. Religious unease and expressive tension mark his paintings, where faces become hieratic and bodies recall Gothic and primitive forms. A friend of Carlo Carrà and participant in the European avant-garde, Garbari built a visionary and thoroughly modern language. He died young in Paris, leaving behind a brief yet profoundly intense body of work.

Tullio Garbari, The dinner (The three sisters), 1916-17. Tempera on paper, 14 x 17,5 cm

Luigi Senesi

Luigi Senesi

Closing this gallery of visions is Luigi Senesi, born in Trento in 1930 and deceased in 1990. A reserved and refined painter, he joined the abstract explorations of the latter twentieth century, developing a style that blends geometric rigour with chromatic vibrations of rare sensitivity. His canvases, often structured through transparencies and veils, evoke inner landscapes made of light and silence. An intense, solitary voice that left a luminous mark on the history of Italian abstract art.

Luigi Senesi, Transparency O/S, 1976. Acrylic water-based paint on canvas, 50 x 80 cm

↑

Landscapes on the saddle

The Valsugana Cycle Path

The Valsugana Cycle Path is much more than a simple route: it is a slow, immersive journey through the heart of Trentino, among mountains, lakes, and historic villages. An itinerary of over 80 km, it connects Pergine Valsugana to Bassano del Grappa, following the course of the Brenta River and offering ever-changing landscapes along the way.

Cycling here means riding through postcard-like scenery: the reflections of Lakes Caldonazzo and Levico, cultivated fields, ancient trade routes, and small villages where you can stop to savour local traditions. Every kilometre brings an encounter — with nature, with history, with art, and with yourself.

Legendary Climbs

Valsugana is not just a valley to cross, but a testing ground that has written some of the most epic pages in cycling history. Here, the great climbs — Panarotta, Vetriolo, Menador and Passo Manghen, to name just a few — have challenged champions and ignited stages of the Giro d’Italia, becoming symbolic places of endurance, courage, and glory on two wheels.

Riding these roads means reliving the emotions of the professionals, feeling the adrenaline of seemingly endless gradients, and at the same time being embraced by spectacular views: dense forests, breathtaking hairpin bends, and vistas that reward every effort.

Habitats to discover

Valsugana: a Botanical Treasure Chest

Valsugana hosts an extraordinary variety of plant life, where Alpine, Mediterranean, and continental species coexist. Alongside forests and flowering meadows, a special role is played by wetlands and peat bogs, such as the one in Roncegno, where rare plants like the Drosera rotundifolia, a small carnivorous species, can be found. The valley is also home to protected species such as wild orchids, the martagon lily, and delicate water buttercups, which brighten the slow-flowing streams. It is a unique natural heritage, waiting to be discovered one pedal stroke at a time.

The Reeds

The reed beds of Valsugana are precious, vibrant habitats stretching along the shores of Lakes Levico and Caldonazzo and the Brenta River. The common reed, which can grow up to four metres tall, dominates these areas, accompanied by bulrushes, sedges, and other semi-aquatic plants that create a mosaic of greenery and natural refuges. These environments are vital for wildlife: many waterbirds — such as the grey heron, reed warbler, great crested grebe, and water rail — find shelter and nesting grounds among the reeds.

In addition to providing refuge for fauna, reed beds perform important ecological functions: they naturally filter the water, protect the banks from erosion, and help regulate humidity and temperature.

A particularly remarkable example is the reed bed of Lake Levico, which is part of a protected Natural Park and subject to conservation plans. Here, visitors can walk along the picturesque Fishermen’s Path and explore the richness of this delicate and fascinating environment.

Art Installation at San Cristoforo

Vista San Cristoforo, 2025
Painted iron, wooden seats, room dimensions

Coordinates: N 46°02.178′ E 011°13.840′

Immersed in the biotope of San Cristoforo, the artwork establishes a silent yet powerful dialogue with the surrounding landscape. The thin metal line captures and translates into an essential form the profile of the mountains that frame the lake, becoming a visual guide that invites the viewer’s gaze to follow the ridges and rediscover the natural rhythm of the horizons. In this simple yet evocative gesture lies an idea of connection: with a single line, multiple horizons and territories are linked. The intervention underlines how the landscape is not merely a backdrop, but an identity-bearing element that binds communities, memories, and places together. Thus, the sculptural outline becomes a sign of belonging — an invitation to pause, to look, and to rediscover the beauty hidden in every detail of the surrounding territory.

Art installation along the cycle path in Calceranica – Valcanover

Nel vento (canneto), 2025
Porphyry, stainless steel, copper, environmental dimensions

Coordinates: N 46°01’20.8″ E 11°13’50.2”

Among the reeds swaying in the wind, this sculpture seems to breathe with the landscape. Its vertical lines recall the rhythm of the canneto, blending art and nature in a play of correspondences and reflections. The work does not impose itself — it listens to the place, capturing its movements, silences, and invisible harmonies. The slender stems in metal rise and tremble as if alive, echoing the vibrations of the breeze and the murmur of water. Through this poetic dialogue, the artist celebrates the fragile equilibrium that connects all living things, where even the smallest motion becomes a gesture of life. The sculpture thus becomes an emblem of continuity, a sign that unites the human and the natural, the visible and the intangible, in an ever-changing dance of light and air.

Art installation at Levico Terme

Menador, 2025
Porphyry, painted iron, ambient dimensions

Coordinates: N 46°00.383′ E 011°17.425′

A line traces the outline of a mountain, creating a tangible horizon that brings us closer to the peaks. Conceived as a site-specific intervention, the work synthesises the profile of Mount Pegolara, transforming it into a sculptural element suspended between earth and sky. In its simplicity, the line offers itself as a guiding sign, directing the gaze and accompanying us on a journey of discovery of the shapes of the territory and their evocative power. Located next to the Paesaggio in Scia (Landscape in Wake) installation, it encourages us to envision travelling along the renowned panoramic ascent of the Menador, connecting Valsugana with the Lavarone plateau and the Alpe di Luserna. This route was the setting for the 17th stage of the 2022 Giro d’Italia. It is not merely a representation, but an interplay between nature and artifice. Like an abstract symbol brought into space, the profile emphasises the continuity between the work and its context, and between the aesthetic and geographical dimensions. It is an invitation to observe and explore the horizons and rediscover the living landscapes of this beautiful area by bike.

Art installation at Levico Terme

Paesaggio in scia, 2025
6 iron elements, each with a diameter of 210 cm

Coordinate: N 46°00.383′ E 011°17.425′

The work is inspired by the hoops of barrels, which are a symbol of wine production in the area. The specially made iron elements are arranged in a sequence of gradually decreasing intervals and dimensions. The installation also evokes the movement of bicycle wheels, symbolising travel and the landscape crossed and experienced. Located next to the Menador installation, the piece not only guides the viewer’s gaze along the winding cycle path, but also directs it towards the nearby Menador climb on Mount Pegolara, offering a vision of glory in pink to the most dedicated cyclists. It is not merely a representation, but an act of relationship between nature and artifice. Like an abstract symbol in space, its profile emphasises the continuity between the work and its context, and between the aesthetic and geographical dimensions. It invites you to observe and explore the horizons and rediscover the living frames of this wonderful landscape on your bike.

Special thanks to Metal Working in Pergine Valsugana and to Furlani Acciai in Altipiano della Vigolana