Fornace

The mining tradition of Fornace has very ancient origins and its name seems to derive from the ovens used to melt silver. It is documented that since medieval times were exploited silver mines located near Mount Calisio, which in fact is nicknamed Monte Argentario.

Beyond the mining activity, the real specificity of the place, the territory where Fornace rises today has seen the presence of man since Roman times, to which date back the remains of tombs and especially the coins related to Domitian, Titus, Trajan found at the church of Santo Stefano.

If you go to the hamlet of Santo Stefano, you will have the opportunity to visit this small church, probably built between 500 and 600 A.D.: its bell tower, dotted with Romanesque mullioned windows with two lights, is the characteristic feature of the building. Inside there is an ancient tomb and you can also admire, on the latticework of the vault, elegant frescoes: here was found the beautiful late-Gothic altar of San Domenico, now preserved in the Diocesan Museum of Trento, located in Piazza Duomo.

Returning to the heart of Fornace, reach the Cortiveder district, the most characteristic area of the entire village, with its rural atmosphere enhanced by the presence of barns, hallways and stables. The center of Fornace revolves around the church of San Martino, designed in the mid-nineteenth century by Leopoldo Claricini and built on the ruins of the ancient Castle Roccabruna: the same bell tower was built on the ancient donjon of the castle and at the base there is a massive porphyry plinth. Just from the bell tower of the church of San Martino you can hear the sound of its bells on the roofs of Fornace and in the whole valley, without forgetting Gounod's Ave Maria played by the carillon on top of the bell tower.

Moving to the nearby hill of San Martino, practically in the center of the village, stands the castle whose first news date back to 1198.
The Castle of Fornace bears the name of Giacomo Roccabruna who made it one of the most important fortifications of Alta Valsugana. His great-grandchildren completely rebuilt it towards the middle of the 16th century, erasing the medieval aspect of the castle that took on a more elegant and less austere Renaissance look.
After being ceded to the municipality of Fornace, the Roccabruna Castle was demolished in the 20th century: of the ancient structure only the windows decorated with ashlar frames, the emblazoned portal and the inner courtyard with its loggia remain.

After visiting the beauties of the village, you can dedicate yourself to discover the natural beauties of the Cembra Valley, characterized by the presence of lakes, lush forests and terraced vineyards that bear witness to the winemaking tradition of the Valley where the autochthonous white grape Müller-Thurgau stands out.

From Fornace you can make an excursion to discover the surrounding lakes, starting from those of Serraia and Delle Piazze: born in the glacial era, they were once united and are now suitable to be experienced in every season. On Lake Serraia you can skate when the surface freezes in winter, while at Lake Delle Piazze you can take refreshing swims in its clear waters often awarded the Blue Flag.

Very suggestive is then the Lake of Santa Colomba, located at 926 meters high at the foot of Mount Calisio, nestled among the thick and fragrant groves of pine trees.
Even more scenic is the Holy Lake, being located in a basin at 1200 meters high: a legend says that, during the quarrel between two brothers for a disputed land, one of the two wished the other to turn into a lake. So suddenly from the subsoil began to rise so much water to threaten the town of Cembra. So the parish priest of the village rushed in and threw the ring of the Virgin Mary into the water and the water level miraculously stopped.

One of the beauties of the Cembra Valley, absolutely not to be missed if you have chosen to spend a few days in Fornace, is represented by the Earth Pyramids. This is an extraordinary geological phenomenon that will remind you of the Fairy Chimneys in Turkey, in the region of Cappadocia.

The pyramids are nothing more than rocky pinnacles in porphyry, shaped by the elements over the centuries and topped by a rock that makes them look like many small umbrellas or mushrooms: the spectacle that will appear before you is undoubtedly spectacular and will represent one of the most beautiful postcards of your trip to Fornace and the nearby Val di Cembra.