The woods fairy tales between art and nature

You’ll find Puss in Boots, Pinocchio and even Sleeping Beauty, Rapunzel, Little Red Riding Hood and the wolf, Hansel and Gretel, the Ugly Duckling and many more. These characters from children’s dreams accompany them along an art and nature trail that starts at the foot of the Vigolana, one of the most unspoilt areas in Trentino on Alpe Cimbra.
This walk through the woods is even more magical at this time of the year, with the colours of the autumn, a mushroom or two sprouting of the carpet of fallen leaves and the scent of the trees after the rain.

Gianni Rodari used to say that fairy tales help us explore the world in more depth, to remember and build the processes of imagination.

Children can walk and run along the dirt road and pick up pebbles, leaves and twigs.
Adults can enjoy the moment and the fresh air, and travel back in time to discover the well-known fairy tales, as well as some less familiar ones, that come from legends and traditions from countries afar.
You can get to know more about the characters of classic fairy tales and local legends with the help of twenty or so peculiar giant sculptures and some special “picture books” to read along the way.

"This trail is a real journey in different stages, through stories and tales"

Do you know the story of the witch Baba Jaga, a character of the Slavic and Russian mythology, rather like our bogeyman? Baba Jaga is an old, tall, thin witch with ruffled hair, an iron nose and teeth and breast made of stone. She flies around on a mortar using the pestle as the wheel and erases the trails through the woods with a broom made of silver birch.
Sometimes she is portrayed as evil, others as a source of advice. It is usually dangerous to seek her advice, and it requires skill and a pure soul.
And then there are the tales of Lavinia Granda, of the two giants that were turned to stone for their evil behaviour, of the coat made of donkey skin, of the two kids that stole the golden pot from an evil dwarf, or of the bear (not a toad this time) that turns into a prince for a good maiden to the detriment of her spiteful sisters.
Pablo Neruda used to say: “Each one of us has a fairy-tale inside, but we are unable to read it alone. We need someone to read and tell it with wonder and enchantment in their eyes”.
This route was designed with youngsters in mind, but is also recommended for grown-ups that believe in dreams and fairy-tales.

Departure: Vigolana - Location Doss del Bue
Length: 3 km round trip
Baby Trekking trail walkable with a stroller.

Text by Linda Pisani