Prè di Ledro: the village without sun

When we think of Italy, we immediately think of sun-drenched days, not only in summer but also in autumn. The village of Prè di Ledro, located in the Ledro valley (region of Trentino-South Tyrol), proves that this is not very self-evident. From November 11 (Saint Maarten) the inhabitants of the village will have to do without sunlight for a long time. 

Festa del Sol

This is because Prè di Ledro is located in a valley in the mountains, so that the surrounding mountains, as it were, block the sunlight in the winter period. Only on February 5 – the feast day of Saint Agatha – of the following year the first rays of sunshine reach the village again.

The return of the sun after 3 months of absence is of course celebrated exuberantly with the Festa del Sol (festival of the sun). Concerts and performances are held for 2 days and the entire village comes together.

It goes without saying that food is also eaten during the festival in Italy. In addition to the opportunity to participate in a communal lunch, there are also stalls for a quick bite during the 2 days.

road diversion

This small village – it only has 5.523 inhabitants – does have more idiosyncrasies. It is the only village in the Ledro valley where the motorway does not run through the village but around it. This is thanks to the inhabitants of Prè di Ledro who fiercely protested against a road through the village during its construction.

iron nails

Prè di Ledro also has a very long tradition of forging iron nails for shoes. Until the end of the Second World War, this was an important driver of the economy in the Ledro Valley.

That this activity was also important for the Italian army was evident from the fact that the best blacksmiths were exempted from conscription and therefore did not have to go to the front if they guaranteed a production of a thousand wrought iron nails per day.

Quite a job when you consider that it took about 40 to 50 hammer blows to produce one nail. The last authentic forge can still be visited by interested parties on request and a local blacksmith will then show you exactly how the nails were forged.

If you are already planning to visit the Ledro Valley, a visit to Prè di Ledro is definitely worthwhile, given the peculiarities of this village.

In addition to a possible visit to the forge, there is of course a beautiful landscape to admire around the village for hiking or mountain biking enthusiasts.

Do you like the sun a lot? Then it might be best to come during the summer period.