Nature in the Val di Fassa

Discovering the natural surroundings of the Val di Fassa

When staying in the Val di Fassa, you don’t need to do anything special to immerse yourself in nature. Just look around you and envelop yourself in the embrace of its velvety green forests and clear skies. Lovers of plant and animal life will soon discover that touring around the Val di Fassa is just like leafing through a living encyclopaedia.

As well as the obvious fir, larch and pine woods, with their rich undergrowth and fruits, local flora consists of a wide variety of flowers, mountain plants and herbs. These include pond lilies, dandelions, daisies, rhododendrons, gentianellas, edelweiss, primroses, clover, pinks and wild white lilies, vanilla orchids, violets, anemones, bellflowers, wild sage, thyme, kingcups, globe flowers, etc. … Our list could go on for much longer, but we will leave this task to the botanists. We would like to remind you that it is forbidden to pick most plants and flowers and that the best thing to do is to admire them and photograph these wonders in their natural surroundings.

As well as having a vast and varied number of flower species, the Val di Fassa is also the ideal habitat for many varieties of mushroom. These can be picked, if you have the relevant permit and as long as you follow a few fundamental rules and limitations, such as the maximum amount, picking method, etc. Mushrooms – even poisonous varieties – play an extremely important role in the complex life of the woodland and, for this reason, they must be respected and never destroyed. These are some of the best-known varieties: Chanterelle, Black Chanterelle, Porcino (or Cep). Lepiota naucina, Lactarius salmonicolor, Albatrellus ovinus, Leccinum aurantiacum, etc. ..

The valley is also home to a rich variety of fauna, although you will need to be more observant, patient and tenacious if you wish to see it. The easiest animals to spot among the woods and meadows are squirrels and marmots. Larger animals, such as roe deer, steinbocks, chamois, falcons and eagles are harder to see. The area covering Predazzo and the Valles and Rolle Passes is a natural park or more precisely, the Paneveggio Natural Park in the Val di Fiemme. Here, nature lovers will find unspoilt territory that is full of protected species. The park has a visitors’ centre and a partially fenced off area where you may even see stags up close.