Holiday apartment in Drena: Castel Drena, gorge and chestnut trails

Drena combines cultural and natural attractions: Castel Drena, the Rio Sallagoni Gorge, chestnut groves and hiking trails each offer a different experience. Key highlights include Castel Drena, the “Cammino dei Ricci” through the chestnut grove and trails to Monte Stivo.

Castel Drena and the Marocche di Dro

Castel Drena preserves the essential elements of a medieval fortress; the oldest surviving record dates from 1175. The 25-metre-high keep is accessible all the way to the top and offers views of the Marocche and Alto Garda. Castel Drena houses a permanent museum dedicated to the restoration of the building.

Castel Drena is located above the Rio Sallagoni Gorge; at its foot extends the glacial landslide of Marocche di Dro. In the wider regional area around Drena, it is a provincial nature reserve, a Special Area of Conservation and part of the Sarca River Park. Its almost lunar-looking, dry landscape supports vegetation adapted to pronounced dryness and stony, humus-poor soil; its formation is linked to glaciations.

Trails through the gorge and forest

The Rio Sallagoni via ferrata leads through the narrow gorge carved by the Rio Sallagoni at the foot of the limestone wall below Castel Drena. It features waterfalls, lush vegetation and two Tibetan bridges. In the Open Air Gallery Sculpture Park 3000, the Path of the Sun and the Path of the Moon cross through the forest, lined with animals and fantastic objects. Visitors can follow the map, download GPX files and begin a hike along the trails leading into the vegetation.

Chestnut culture and Malga Campo

The “Cammino dei Ricci” is an educational trail through the “maroneri” chestnut grove in Drena and focuses on the local chestnut culture. The grove contains more than 5,000 centuries-old trees and is one of the most extensive chestnut groves in Trentino. Maroni in Festa is a chestnut festival in Drena; in its 53rd edition, it includes walks through the chestnut grove, cooking workshops, show cooking, music and tastings. At Malga Campo stands the Chiesetta degli Alpini, commissioned by the Alpini.

Malga Campo is ideal for walks and picnics and is the starting point for trails to Stivo, Cima Bassa, Cima Alta and Malga Vallestrè. From there, you can follow a signposted trail along the ridge of Monte Stivo. Around the 1950s, a group of livestock farmers built Malga Campo for alpine farming; originally, it included a dairy for producing butter, cheese, ricotta and other dairy products. The Sentiero del Salim is a one-hour hiking trail with particularly impressive panoramas at Narveol and the Crone; the short Sentiero del Sant is notable for its vegetation and special places such as the Calchera.

Routes and connections to Drena

The Tornanti di Malga Campo follow an 8-kilometre road from Val Loèra opposite the village of Ca Brusàa to Malga Campo at an altitude of 1,383 metres; the 16 hairpin bends are each numbered and have their own name. The interurban bus route 204 connects Drena with the towns of Garda Trentino and runs between Riva del Garda, Cavedine and Trento; there is an on-demand stop in the village of Marocche.

More places to discover: San Michele All'adige, Calliano, Massimeno, Pieve Tesino, Mazzin, Cavizzana, Trento, Lombardi

To the overview of the wider travel area: Trentino.