Miola di Pinè

The small village of Miola lies just over 1km from Baselga di Pinè, at an altitude of 997m on the beautiful Pinè Plateau, between the Cembra and Valsugana valleys, in the presence of high peaks with snowy summits such as Monte Croce, which is almost 2500m high. When you reach Miola, you will find yourself in front of the classic mountain village, picturesque with its wooden houses and the bell tower of the Church of San Rocco towering above the village.

The earliest records of Miola date back to at least the year 1000, when a fortress called Castel de La Mot is said to have existed on a hill. Legend has it that the castle was set on fire by the population of Miola itself to rebel against a certain Jacopino, a tyrant who continually harassed the population: in fact, all that remains of the ancient fort today are a few ruins.

In the past, Miola's economy was based on sheep farming, livestock breeding, timber production and wool spinning. Today, tourism is the main driver in the village, especially in winter when the village is covered in lights and colours at Christmas.

The event that animates Miola throughout December and up to the Epiphany is El Paès dei Presepi: wandering through the streets of the village on this occasion you will have the opportunity to admire hundreds of nativity scenes, the most traditional to the most modern, installed in the most unthinkable places, on window sills or in the shade of suggestive porticoes.
Don't miss the Grotta del Presepio (Cave of the Nativity), a life-size nativity scene set up next to an enclosure of fluffy sheep, the splendid Presepe Luminoso (Luminous Crib), which illuminates the village from the dense fir forest on the Miola knoll, and finally the Anesin family's Mobile Crib with its mobile figurines and rich animation.

Every year the little ones have fun wandering around the cribs of Miola to find hidden objects and win the coveted prizes: a souvenir cup and a ticket for the Ice Stadium, the real feather in the village's cap.
Christmas in Miola is a real joy to experience with Alpine choirs, educational workshops, Santa's house and the Christmas market in Piazza San Rocco, with wooden huts full of wooden objects from the Cembra Valley and delicacies such as apple strudel, strauben, mulled wine and hot chocolate to warm up the cold winter days.

What to see
Strolling through the narrow streets of the village you will have the chance to visit the Church of San Rocco, dedicated to the patron saint celebrated with a festival and procession on 16th August: the church, restored in the 1900s, was built on top of a much older religious building, part of which remains today as the sacristy, consecrated back in 1546 by Bishop Olao Magno.

Don't miss the Ice Rink Pinè, built in 1984 following the reclamation of the Miola lake. This important structure houses an outdoor ice skating rink, in the shape of a ring, 400 metres long and a destination for both expert and amateur skaters in winter and summer. The facility also hosts curling and ice hockey competitions.

If you go to Miola for a holiday, you will have the opportunity to reach naturalistic places of disarming beauty, starting from the Lakes of Serraia and Piazze, once united and born in the first ice age.
At Lake Serraia you can swim in summer or skate on the frozen water in winter, not to mention the fact that the lakeside has lush green meadows and picnic areas where you can eat.

Passing through the Sternigo Marshes, you'll soon reach Lago Delle Piazze, which is small in size but has such crystal-clear water that it has often been awarded the coveted Blue Flag.

If you're looking for the most beautiful view of the two lakes, all you have to do is reach the 1500-metre-high Crus el Cruc, which can be reached from Bedollo di Pinè, just 8 km from Miola: from the top, where there is a white cross, the view is nothing short of spectacular.

If, on the other hand, you reach Piazze, just over 5 km from Miola, you can start an excursion to one of the most enchanting jewels of the Cembra Valley, the Cascata del Lupo (the Wolf Waterfall): the water flows from a height of 36 metres inside a porphyry gorge, caressing dark rocky walls covered in moss and molluscs.

Another not-to-be-missed excursion is to the Earth Pyramids of the Cembra Valley: an exceptional geological phenomenon of an erosive nature which, over the centuries, has created a series of porphyry pinnacles that rise up next to each other like the pipes of an organ, reaching up to 20 metres in height. Almost all of these rock formations are topped by a large rock, making them look like mushrooms. When you visit the Earth Pyramids, you will feel as if you have been catapulted to Turkey, in the presence of the Fairy Chimneys of Cappadocia.