On 3 November 2018, Bondone was officially named one of “Italy’s Most Beautiful Villages”, becoming the sixth place in Trentino to boast this important accolade.
A municipality on the south-western border with Lombardy, made up of two settlements: the oldest of these is Bondone, high up (720 m asl) on the right-hand slope of Val d'Inola. It is a typical mountain village, whose little streets offer not only tranquillity but also brightly coloured painted murals. Make sure to visit the Natività parish church, which dates back to 1300, and Castel S. Giovanni, an ancient fortress of the Lodrón Counts from the 11th century. It is a great starting point for picturesque outings to the Bocca di Valle, the Rifugio Alpo lodge, and Cima Tombea (a panoramic viewpoint for Lake Garda and the Valvestino plain).
In the central piazza, visitors can admire a trio of bronze statues depicting a little girl kneeling down beside a kid goat, a man behind her holding a bundle of firewood in his arms, and an immense pile of wood known as a poiat to one side. The monument represents the history of the charcoal burners who would go to work in the woods at the end of March, producing charcoal and generally returning to their homes in autumn. To this very day, during certain periods of the year, visitors to Bondone can witness the construction of the poiat and the production of charcoal from wood; until the 1950s, this was an indispensable resource for economic activities.
