Parade with shepherds – Photo by Max Piazzi
September, let’s go. It is time to… desmontegar. The words of Gabriele D’Annunzio, declined for the purpose, are ideal in approaching the first great event of the autumn in Val di Fiemme. All right, calendar in hand, there are still a few days to go, but the Desmontegada de le Caore di Cavalese is in fact the first act of the change of season, with the 400 goats that will parade through the streets of the centre on Sunday 11 September at around 2pm.
And it will be in the sign of full celebration, of the desire to celebrate: from 9 to 11 September, the climate will truly be that of the great event, with a packed programme of events awaiting the descent into the valley of the queens of the weekend, the goats that will return to their sheds from the Malga Agnelezza pasture, in the heart of the Lagorai.
Photo by La Pastière
Taste and the profound pleasure of tradition will be the leitmotif of a weekend that will experience a real ascending climax towards the parade on Sunday afternoon, with appointments in the Agritur, special aperitifs (renamed ‘Capreritivo’ for the occasion), music and folklore, markets with typical products, cultural moments, show cooking and tastings.
Then at 2 p.m. on Sunday, here come the queens of the day, the hundreds of goats that will parade with cowbells and characteristic decorations, with the road opened up by horse-drawn carriages to announce the return of the flocks to the stables.
Emotions will run high on the roads as the goats pass by, providing moments of true Alpine tradition, to be enjoyed to the full by both children and adults who will find themselves dreaming of one day living the mountain experience.
And over the course of the weekend, there will be no lack of opportunities to do so, also taking advantage of the agreement with Funivie Alpe Cermis, which will offer extremely advantageous rates for Sunday 11 September.
Photo by Trentino Marketing
A rich event, which is returning to its usual splendour and traditional festive atmosphere, thanks to the organisation of the Municipality of Cavalese and the Valfiemme Goat Breeders’ Association, headed by Alberto Nones, and the support of the Fiemme Pinè Cembra Valley Tourist Board.
“We are making all the necessary preparations, so that it will be a great festival. This year, Malga Agnelezza hosted about 400 goats as well as about fifty sheep, involving a total of about twenty different breeders. We have goats of different breeds, with the Meticce most numerous because they are better adapted to mountain life, but there are also some Scamosciate, some Saanen with their characteristic snow-white coats, and some Mochena and Adamello breeds.
We will set off from Malga Agnelezza on Sunday morning, at around 6.30 a.m., to descend to Cavalese to take part in the parade: we are ready to enthusiastically experience this festive day”.
Rich, full-bodied and varied: there are many aspects in the Desmontegada de le Caore programme that inevitably arouse the interest of tourists and valley inhabitants. In order to fully relive the atmosphere of the Desmontegada, a series of occasions and experiences have been organised to get to know the peculiarities of tradition, the excellence of the Fiemme Valley territory, the culture of mountain pasture and sheep farming.
Not to be missed, at the end of the parade, is the election of Miss Capretta and Mister Caprone: at the arrival of the parade in the central Piazza Dante, the jury of experts will examine the garments to identify the most beautiful and proceed to the crowning. All this will follow the “Taste of Desmontegada”, the special Sunday lunch that will feature in Piazza Scopoli the unfailing typical zero-kilometre dish and the “fortaie” organised by the ValFiemme Goat Breeders’ Association, the appetising Street Food at the Desmontegada Market exhibitors and the Shepherd’s Lunch in Piazza Dante at the La Stüa Restaurant in Cavalese.
Photo by Strada dei Formaggi
Worthy of note, among the many events, is Saperi e Sapori ‘Ntorno per Cavales, a veritable gastronomic-cultural tour that on Saturday afternoon through five stages will take visitors to some of the most evocative and historically rich corners of Cavalese and to taste as many local products, to get deep into the Fiemme tradition.
It is an all-round programme, touching on moments of entertainment with music and festive spirit, cultural insights into mountain and everyday life, and attention to taste and the valley’s products.
In this sense, Desmontegada de le Caore fits in perfectly with the gastronomic event “Magnifici Prodotti di Fiemme”, which will take place from 3 to 11 September with the participation of restaurants, farm holiday establishments and hotels in Val di Fiemme that are members of the Strada dei Formaggi delle Dolomiti (Dolomite Cheese Route), the club Tradizione e Gusto, and located in the municipality of Cavalese, which will offer dedicated menus that emphasise and enhance the products of the area, starting, of course, with goat cheese.
The detailed programme of the event, the activities, the participating exhibitors and the menus of the gastronomic event are available here: