{"id":417056,"date":"2026-07-03T09:21:08","date_gmt":"2026-07-03T07:21:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cookinc.it\/?p=417056"},"modified":"2026-07-03T10:11:05","modified_gmt":"2026-07-03T08:11:05","slug":"trentino-outdoor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cookinc.it\/en\/2026\/07\/03\/trentino-outdoor\/","title":{"rendered":"Trentino Outdoor"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Some places reveal themselves through movement. Through the rhythm of a breath, the pull of the wind, the strain in your legs after a long climb, or the quiet satisfaction of sitting down to eat when the day is done. In Trentino, nature doesn&#8217;t simply frame daily life, it shapes it. And because the landscape is constantly changing, so too is the way people experience it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On the shores of <strong>Lake Garda<\/strong>, life follows the water and the wind. Further north, between <strong>Val Rendena<\/strong> and <strong>Madonna di Campiglio<\/strong>, the scenery shifts: dense forests, trails climbing towards higher ground, sheer alpine walls and the deep silence of the mountains. Here, the relationship with nature slows down, becoming almost meditative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns pattern-images-2-v is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-3a88641f wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1030\" height=\"687\" src=\"https:\/\/cookinc.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/GardaTrentino-RivadelGarda_GrazianoPanfili_28884-1030x687.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-416757\" style=\"aspect-ratio:2\/3;object-fit:cover\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cookinc.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/GardaTrentino-RivadelGarda_GrazianoPanfili_28884-1030x687.jpg 1030w, https:\/\/cookinc.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/GardaTrentino-RivadelGarda_GrazianoPanfili_28884-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cookinc.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/GardaTrentino-RivadelGarda_GrazianoPanfili_28884-1620x1080.jpg 1620w, https:\/\/cookinc.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/GardaTrentino-RivadelGarda_GrazianoPanfili_28884-600x400.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1030px) 100vw, 1030px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"685\" height=\"1030\" src=\"https:\/\/cookinc.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/ValRendena-ValdiGenova_DanieleLira_24417-685x1030.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-416796\" style=\"aspect-ratio:2\/3;object-fit:cover\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cookinc.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/ValRendena-ValdiGenova_DanieleLira_24417-685x1030.jpg 685w, https:\/\/cookinc.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/ValRendena-ValdiGenova_DanieleLira_24417-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/cookinc.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/ValRendena-ValdiGenova_DanieleLira_24417-719x1080.jpg 719w, https:\/\/cookinc.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/ValRendena-ValdiGenova_DanieleLira_24417-600x902.jpg 600w, https:\/\/cookinc.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/ValRendena-ValdiGenova_DanieleLira_24417-scaled.jpg 1703w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 685px) 100vw, 685px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Two very different landscapes. Two different ways of inhabiting the outdoors. Yet both are rooted in the same quiet connection with the natural world, and in the same understanding of food. Because after hours spent sailing, hiking or hanging from a rock face, a meal is never just an afterthought. It is fuel, recovery and, above all, a shared ritual. The local cuisine tells the story of the territory as clearly as its landscapes do. <em>Canederli<\/em>, <em>polenta<\/em>, <em>strangolapreti<\/em>, grilled alpine cheese and <em>carne salada<\/em> are dishes born to sustain long, demanding days, but they also speak of mountain hospitality and a strong sense of community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">From the lake to the peaks, we met two women who have turned the outdoors into a profession. They have travelled the world, yet both have always found their way back home, drawn by a connection to this landscape that runs deeper than adventure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Chiara Benini Floriani, the Sailor<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At just twenty-four, <strong>Chiara Benini Floriani <\/strong>has the kind of easy confidence that immediately puts people at ease. Warm, quick to smile and refreshingly down to earth, she is a professional sailor with the <em>Fiamme Gialle<\/em> sports group and has already built an impressive record in international under-21 competitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There is something quietly reassuring about the way she speaks. Focused but never self-important, ambitious without the anxiety, she effortlessly disproves many of the clich\u00e9s surrounding her generation. She works hard, enjoys the process, and meets setbacks with remarkable composure. A recent shoulder injury meant surgery, months of rehabilitation and time away from the boat, yet even that forced pause became something to move through with patience rather than frustration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignfull size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1030\" height=\"687\" src=\"https:\/\/cookinc.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/DSC01401-1030x687.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-416755\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cookinc.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/DSC01401-1030x687.jpg 1030w, https:\/\/cookinc.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/DSC01401-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cookinc.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/DSC01401-1620x1080.jpg 1620w, https:\/\/cookinc.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/DSC01401-600x400.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1030px) 100vw, 1030px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Born and raised in <strong>Riva del Garda<\/strong>, Chiara&#8217;s relationship with sailing is inseparable from the place she calls home. At the northern tip of Lake Garda, the landscape feels far removed from the lake&#8217;s more glamorous reputation of luxury hotels and celebrity villas. Here, as is often the case in Trentino, nature takes centre stage. Mountains plunge straight into the water, creating a unique microclimate, shaped by almost constant winds. And where there is wind&#8230; there are sailors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Life follows a remarkably reliable rhythm. In the morning, the <em>Peler<\/em> sweeps down from the north; by afternoon, the <em>Ora<\/em> rises from the south. Growing up here means learning to read the wind almost without thinking, until something that feels extraordinary to visitors simply becomes part of everyday life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"is-style-answer wp-block-paragraph\">C: &#8220;Missing a training session because there&#8217;s no wind is almost unheard of here. The wind is always there. It wasn&#8217;t until I travelled that I realised how unusual that is \u2013 and how fortunate I was to grow up on this lake.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Chiara has been sailing since she was six years old. Like generations of young sailors before her, she began in an Optimist, the small single-handed dinghy that introduces countless children to the sport. About ten years later she moved into the Laser \u2013 now known as the ILCA \u2013 the Olympic class and one of the most widely sailed and fiercely competitive boats in the world. With more than 220,000 boats in circulation, the standard of competition is exceptionally high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When the conversation turns to training, Chiara is already talking about food before we&#8217;ve even had the chance to ask. To compete at a professional level, she explains, she had to deliberately gain around eight kilograms to reach her ideal racing weight of about 70 kilos. Sailing, after all, is far more physical than many people imagine. Your body is constantly working against the forces of the wind and the boat, and in the ILCA class, body weight can make a real difference. There are no weight categories as in many other sports, but having the right build makes the boat easier to control and can be the difference between keeping up with the fleet and fighting for the podium. Everything else, of course, comes down to tactics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"is-style-answer wp-block-paragraph\">C: &#8220;I was naturally very slim because I did ballet for eleven years. At first, gaining all that weight was actually really challenging. Everyone talks about how hard it is to lose weight, but to lose weight you &#8216;<em>just<\/em>&#8216; have to be in a calorie deficit \u2013 and that&#8217;s mostly a mental battle. Gaining weight is different. You have to keep eating long after you&#8217;ve stopped wanting to look at food. That&#8217;s the part I really struggled with.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><mark style=\"background-color:#A4A4A4\" class=\"has-inline-color\">Chiara touches on something fundamental: in sport, the body is both your engine and your tool.<\/mark> It has to be trained, understood, cared for and kept in the best possible condition to perform at the highest level. Nutrition is, inevitably, the foundation of all of that. But for Chiara, food is more than just fuel. It&#8217;s also one of life&#8217;s pleasures, a point she makes with a smile that lights up her face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"is-style-answer wp-block-paragraph\">C: &#8220;I thought I was the right person for this interview because I genuinely love food. Even when I&#8217;m just cooking for myself, I always try to make something I&#8217;ll actually enjoy \u2013 not the usual sad chicken breast.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For Chiara, the food of Trentino is inseparable from the idea of home. Her favourite dishes include polenta with rabbit and potato gnocchi with tomato sauce (preferably her aunt&#8217;s). Then there are the mountain huts, where she loves meeting friends after a bike ride. She tells us about <strong>Malga Grassi<\/strong>, perched 1,056 metres above sea level, just a short distance from the lake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After the interview, we take her advice and head there for lunch \u2013 by car, admittedly. It doesn&#8217;t take long to understand what she had been trying to describe. The atmosphere has a quiet kind of magic that&#8217;s difficult to put into words.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A small clearing in the woods, surrounded by green. A yellow house with blue-and-white shutters stands out among the trees \u2013 welcoming, unpretentious, and a perfect expression of what mountain huts mean in this part of Italy. Here, mountain cooking is more than a local tradition; it&#8217;s an essential part of life outdoors. The dishes are made to warm you up, restore your energy and bring you back to life after hours spent on the trail, the bike or the rock. <mark style=\"background-color:#A4A4A4\" class=\"has-inline-color\">But mountain huts are more than places to stop for a meal.<\/mark> They still embody the original meaning of the word <em>rifugio<\/em> \u2013 from the Latin <em>refug\u0115re<\/em>, &#8220;to flee in search of shelter.&#8221; Step inside and you immediately sense the quiet spirit of mountain life: hospitality, mutual trust and the unspoken understanding that, up here, people look after one another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1030\" height=\"710\" src=\"https:\/\/cookinc.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/AltoGarda-LocalitaGrassi-RifugioCapannaGrassi_GiampaoloCalza_34526-1030x710.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-416777\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cookinc.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/AltoGarda-LocalitaGrassi-RifugioCapannaGrassi_GiampaoloCalza_34526-1030x710.jpg 1030w, https:\/\/cookinc.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/AltoGarda-LocalitaGrassi-RifugioCapannaGrassi_GiampaoloCalza_34526-300x207.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cookinc.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/AltoGarda-LocalitaGrassi-RifugioCapannaGrassi_GiampaoloCalza_34526-1567x1080.jpg 1567w, https:\/\/cookinc.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/AltoGarda-LocalitaGrassi-RifugioCapannaGrassi_GiampaoloCalza_34526-600x414.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1030px) 100vw, 1030px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At Malga Grassi, we ask about the origins of <em>strangolapreti<\/em>, a traditional dish made with stale bread and foraged greens \u2013 spinach, nettles, purslane, chard and whatever else the fields had to offer \u2013 finished simply with butter and sage. According to local tradition, the recipe dates back to the sixteenth century, during the <strong>Council of Trent<\/strong>, when it evolved from the Tuscan <em>strozzapreti<\/em> using ingredients more readily available in the Alps. Legend has it that the bishops and cardinals attending the council loved the dish so much they ate it until they nearly choked, hence the name, <em>strangolapreti<\/em>, literally &#8220;priest stranglers.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Chiara loves living in Riva del Garda and has never been tempted to call anywhere else home. But the life of a professional athlete is anything but settled. <mark style=\"background-color:#A4A4A4\" class=\"has-inline-color\">Training camps and regattas take her across Europe and beyond.<\/mark> When competitions are held within driving distance, she straps her ILCA to the roof of her car and sets off, even if it means a nine-hour journey, sometimes entirely on her own. Amid all that travelling, she still tries to keep a balanced diet, which isn&#8217;t always easy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"is-style-answer wp-block-paragraph\">C: &#8220;Whenever we can, we rent apartments so we can cook for ourselves, even if it&#8217;s just a plate of pasta. I also pack pasta and other ingredients from home because I know I won&#8217;t always be able to find them wherever I&#8217;m going.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns pattern-images-2-v is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-3a88641f wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1030\" height=\"687\" src=\"https:\/\/cookinc.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/DSC01134-1030x687.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-416753\" style=\"aspect-ratio:2\/3;object-fit:cover\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cookinc.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/DSC01134-1030x687.jpg 1030w, https:\/\/cookinc.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/DSC01134-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cookinc.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/DSC01134-1620x1080.jpg 1620w, https:\/\/cookinc.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/DSC01134-600x400.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1030px) 100vw, 1030px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1030\" height=\"687\" src=\"https:\/\/cookinc.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/image00002-1030x687.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-416761\" style=\"aspect-ratio:2\/3;object-fit:cover\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cookinc.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/image00002-1030x687.jpeg 1030w, https:\/\/cookinc.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/image00002-300x200.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/cookinc.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/image00002-1620x1080.jpeg 1620w, https:\/\/cookinc.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/image00002-600x400.jpeg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1030px) 100vw, 1030px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Then there&#8217;s her Sicilian teammate, whose suitcase is always fuller of food than clothes, as though every trip came with a shared gastronomic survival plan. And when cooking isn&#8217;t an option, finding the right restaurant quickly becomes a priority. So, somewhere between stories of regattas in Mallorca and training camps in Livorno, Chiara ends up listing favourite restaurants scattered across Europe, small constants in a life that&#8217;s always on the move.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"is-style-answer wp-block-paragraph\">C: &#8220;China was probably the toughest trip. The flavours were so different from what I was used to that it took me a while to adjust. And if you&#8217;re not eating enough, you feel it out on the water. In the end, it&#8217;s all about adapting, figuring out how to eat well wherever you are, because everything has an impact on your performance.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It is perhaps here that the connection between sport, place and food reveals itself most clearly. <mark style=\"background-color:#A4A4A4\" class=\"has-inline-color\">Training, eating well, adapting to new places, spending time outdoors, lingering over lunch in a mountain hut \u2013 they all feel part of the same rhythm.<\/mark> Chiara doesn&#8217;t experience elite sport as a constant source of pressure, but as something she simply loves doing. Sailing, cycling, skiing: different disciplines, all rooted in the landscape that raised her and in a daily relationship with nature that has never really left her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"is-style-emphasis wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;People often describe it as a life of sacrifice. But I&#8217;ve never felt that way. I can&#8217;t imagine choosing a different path.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignfull size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1030\" height=\"686\" src=\"https:\/\/cookinc.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/MadonnadiCampiglio-ValRendena-Torrente_SimoneMondino_43110-1030x686.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-416765\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cookinc.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/MadonnadiCampiglio-ValRendena-Torrente_SimoneMondino_43110-1030x686.jpg 1030w, https:\/\/cookinc.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/MadonnadiCampiglio-ValRendena-Torrente_SimoneMondino_43110-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cookinc.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/MadonnadiCampiglio-ValRendena-Torrente_SimoneMondino_43110-1621x1080.jpg 1621w, https:\/\/cookinc.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/MadonnadiCampiglio-ValRendena-Torrente_SimoneMondino_43110-600x400.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1030px) 100vw, 1030px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Leaving the lake behind, we head north into <strong>Val Rendena<\/strong>, a valley framed by the <strong>Adamello<\/strong> massif to the west and the <strong>Brenta Dolomites<\/strong> to the east. The landscape changes almost instantly. Look in any direction and all you see are trees: dense forests layered in countless shades of green, like a pointillist painting stretching across the mountainsides. We soon learn that more than sixty per cent of Trentino is covered by woodland. The forests shape the landscape, fill the air, slow the pace, and, in turn, shape the way people live and eat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here, the rhythm of life follows the mountains and the woods. Wild strawberries, blueberries, chestnuts, wild asparagus, alpine chicory and countless edible herbs grow in abundance. Ask anyone local about foraging and they&#8217;ll happily start sharing stories, although the best spots are guarded with the same discretion as a truffle hunter&#8217;s secret patch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the village of <strong>Spiazzo<\/strong> lives <strong>Eleonora Cunaccia<\/strong>, better known as <strong>Noris<\/strong>, who was foraging long before the word entered everyday vocabulary in the early 2000s. She gathers wild herbs high in the mountains and, through her brand <strong>Primitivizia<\/strong> \u2013 a name that blends the Italian words for <em>primitive<\/em> and <em>delight<\/em> (&#8216;delizia&#8217;) \u2013&nbsp;creates natural products deeply rooted in the local landscape. They are sought after by chefs around the world. There&#8217;s just one catch: the waiting list is long, and the first requirement for receiving an allocation isn&#8217;t fame or prestige, but simply being a good person. Who decides that? Noris, of course.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Knowledgeable, endlessly hardworking and deeply connected to her land, Noris cares for these mountains with the devotion of someone protecting a member of the family. She understands, perhaps better than most, that looking after nature begins with paying attention to it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And it was through Noris that we met <strong>Nicolle Boroni<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Nicolle Boroni, the Alpinist<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Radiant and full of energy, <strong>Nicolle Boroni <\/strong>has one of those rare presences that is hard to put into words \u2013&nbsp;open, infectious and quietly magnetic. She grew up here, in Val Rendena, and like Chiara, she is a multi-disciplinary athlete whose connection to this landscape runs deep.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"686\" height=\"1030\" src=\"https:\/\/cookinc.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Brenta-Open-1a-selezione-Frizzera-WEB-95-686x1030.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-416751\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cookinc.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Brenta-Open-1a-selezione-Frizzera-WEB-95-686x1030.jpg 686w, https:\/\/cookinc.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Brenta-Open-1a-selezione-Frizzera-WEB-95-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/cookinc.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Brenta-Open-1a-selezione-Frizzera-WEB-95-720x1080.jpg 720w, https:\/\/cookinc.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Brenta-Open-1a-selezione-Frizzera-WEB-95-600x900.jpg 600w, https:\/\/cookinc.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Brenta-Open-1a-selezione-Frizzera-WEB-95.jpg 1365w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 686px) 100vw, 686px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Born in 1993, Nicolle is an alpinist. She has climbed walls and summits that are dizzying even to look at. But spending time with her is less about the climbs than the conversations. You find yourself listening, absorbing, understanding. <mark style=\"background-color:#A4A4A4\" class=\"has-inline-color\">Because Nicolle carries a story that has profoundly shaped her, without ever becoming the thing that defines her.<\/mark><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Her life changed dramatically when she was just four years old. An accident in her family&#8217;s butcher&#8217;s shop resulted in the loss of her right hand. It was a traumatic event, yet as a child she seemed to absorb it with remarkable ease. She carried on playing, skiing, and even racing competitively with excellent results \u2013 essentially doing everything she had done before. Much of that resilience came from her family, who never treated the accident as a reason to hold her back. It was during her teenage years that something shifted. She became aware of other people&#8217;s gaze. <em>&#8220;Oh God, I&#8217;m missing a piece.&#8221;<\/em> And with that awareness came the instinct to hide what she had lost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When the time came to choose a secondary school, Nicolle knew she wanted to follow a mountain sports programme, with the dream of becoming a ski instructor and mountain guide. But one of her teachers stopped her before she had even begun. He told her it wouldn&#8217;t be possible \u2013 that her disability was an insurmountable obstacle, especially for climbing, which was part of the second-year curriculum. This was around sixteen years ago, when conversations around disability were far less common than they are today. Even so, it remains a powerful reminder of how much a few words can alter the course of a life. Nicolle believed him. She let go of that dream, drifted away from the mountains, and enrolled instead at the Technical Institute for Tourism in <strong>Arco<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"is-style-answer wp-block-paragraph\">N: &#8220;Life has a way of taking you where you&#8217;re meant to be. Looking back, it all worked out for the best, because I honestly wouldn&#8217;t want to be a ski instructor today.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It&#8217;s striking how Nicolle looks back on that period with lightness, almost reframing it as something positive. It brings to mind Pollyanna, the heroine of Eleanor H. Porter&#8217;s 1913 novel, whose gift was finding something good in every situation, no matter how difficult.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After finishing school, Nicolle began working for a travel agency, a job that took her to many different places. Travelling broadened her horizons, but it was a volunteering experience in Ecuador at the age of eighteen that truly changed the way she saw herself. Working with young people with disabilities, she realised that, for years, her life had been constrained far more by the fear of other people&#8217;s judgement than by the loss of her hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"is-style-answer wp-block-paragraph\">N: &#8220;That&#8217;s when I realised I couldn&#8217;t keep hiding. I wouldn&#8217;t even go to the beach without covering my hand because I was so self-conscious. Then I met these young people, who were living such full lives despite having no family, no home, no education or even enough food. I had everything, yet I was holding myself back because of fears that existed only in my head. It felt like a rebirth.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Back in Italy, she posted her first photograph on social media without hiding her hand. Around the same time, a few friends \u2013 the very ones who had followed the mountain sports programme she had been discouraged from pursuing \u2013 introduced her to climbing. Nicolle felt at home on the rock almost immediately, and before long she realised she had fallen completely in love with it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"is-style-answer wp-block-paragraph\">N: &#8220;Maybe that&#8217;s what&#8217;s so fascinating about climbing: there&#8217;s no single way to reach the top. Everyone finds their own rhythm, their own movement. Some people climb more with their arms, others with their legs.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignfull size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1030\" height=\"686\" src=\"https:\/\/cookinc.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Brenta-Open-1a-selezione-Frizzera-WEB-92-1030x686.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-416749\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cookinc.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Brenta-Open-1a-selezione-Frizzera-WEB-92-1030x686.jpg 1030w, https:\/\/cookinc.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Brenta-Open-1a-selezione-Frizzera-WEB-92-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cookinc.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Brenta-Open-1a-selezione-Frizzera-WEB-92-1620x1080.jpg 1620w, https:\/\/cookinc.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Brenta-Open-1a-selezione-Frizzera-WEB-92-600x400.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1030px) 100vw, 1030px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Today, Nicolle is, by every definition, an alpinist. She has stood on the summit of <strong>Campanile Basso<\/strong>, one of the most celebrated peaks in the Brenta Dolomites. At 2,877 metres, it has drawn climbers from around the world for generations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"is-style-answer wp-block-paragraph\">N: &#8220;I don&#8217;t really think of myself as a hardcore athlete. I just happen to live in a place that makes you want to ski, hike and climb. But for me, it&#8217;s not only about the sport. I love everything that comes with being in the mountains: reaching the summit, slowing down, feeling connected to what&#8217;s around me, taking in the landscape. And we often cook up there too. One time I carried a camping stove, some <em>coppa<\/em>, courgettes and melted cheese just so I could make a proper sandwich. Definitely an upgrade from the usual ham sandwich.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"is-style-default wp-block-paragraph\">Her outdoor adventures often come with an unexpectedly gourmet twist: a day in the mountains with Trentino chef and outdoor enthusiast <strong>Alfio Ghezzi<\/strong>, or an aperitivo by <strong>Lago Nero<\/strong> with friends, surrounded by the Dolomites. The kind of moments that stay with you long after you&#8217;ve gone home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1030\" height=\"772\" src=\"https:\/\/cookinc.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/MadonnadiCampiglio-ValRendena-Carisolo-LagoNero_CarloBaroni_39147-1030x772.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-416763\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cookinc.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/MadonnadiCampiglio-ValRendena-Carisolo-LagoNero_CarloBaroni_39147-1030x772.jpg 1030w, https:\/\/cookinc.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/MadonnadiCampiglio-ValRendena-Carisolo-LagoNero_CarloBaroni_39147-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cookinc.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/MadonnadiCampiglio-ValRendena-Carisolo-LagoNero_CarloBaroni_39147-1440x1080.jpg 1440w, https:\/\/cookinc.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/MadonnadiCampiglio-ValRendena-Carisolo-LagoNero_CarloBaroni_39147-600x450.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1030px) 100vw, 1030px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Nicolle&#8217;s connection to food and the landscape begins at home. Her parents first ran a butcher&#8217;s shop, then a supermarket, and today own a store specialising in local products. She grew up surrounded by this world, and it shows in the way she talks about ingredients, the mountains and what it really means to eat from a place. The family raises Highland cattle using traditional, low-impact methods, taking them to alpine pastures in summer and preparing hay in spring to ensure the highest quality meat. Her mother, meanwhile, is what Nicolle affectionately calls &#8220;a classic mountain mum&#8221;: she follows the seasons, gathering wild asparagus, chicory, mushrooms and alpine chicory, always working with what the land has to offer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><mark style=\"background-color:#A4A4A4\" class=\"has-inline-color\">It&#8217;s a relationship with nature that probably began out of necessity, but one that now feels increasingly rare elsewhere<\/mark> \u2013 a way of living that treats the landscape not simply as scenery, but as something to be understood, respected and shared. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Perhaps that&#8217;s why Nicolle chooses to take us to lunch at <strong>Pra de la Casa<\/strong>, one of the places she holds closest to her heart. Tucked away in the Val Brenta, this family-run restaurant occupies a restored fifteenth-century settlement in the heart of the<strong> Adamello Brenta Nature Park<\/strong>. <strong>Matteo and Doriana Ciaghi<\/strong> even invite guests to take off their shoes at the door, as though they were stepping into their own home. And, in some ways, that&#8217;s exactly the case.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"is-style-answer wp-block-paragraph\">N: &#8220;We have so many different places to eat here. There are Michelin-starred restaurants and gourmet dining, but also places like this that feel completely genuine. I love Pra de la Casa because it reflects who I am. It&#8217;s a little unconventional, just like me. In fact, this is where I celebrated my thirtieth birthday.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And sitting there, it&#8217;s easy to understand what Nicolle means. The atmosphere is genuinely welcoming, more like being in someone&#8217;s home than in a restaurant. Matteo, the chef, joins us at the table and begins sharing stories about the valley and the old forms of collective life that still shape the relationship between local communities and the land. One example is the <em>Regole<\/em>: centuries-old systems through which families managed forests, pastures and firewood together, sharing both the resources and the responsibility of caring for the landscape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Matteo&#8217;s cooking is honest, seasonal and deeply rooted in local tradition. His menu is built around organic, locally sourced ingredients: alpine cheeses, cured meats from Val Rendena, fresh handmade pasta, mountain herbs and freshwater fish from nearby rivers and lakes. He speaks about the local producers with genuine admiration: <em>&#8220;They&#8217;re incredible. It would be foolish not to cook with their ingredients.&#8221;<\/em> That same quiet confidence and sensitivity are reflected in every dish that leaves the kitchen. The <em>canederli<\/em> are a perfect example. A staple of Alpine &#8216;cucina povera&#8217;, they&#8217;re made with stale bread, milk, eggs and speck, then served in a steaming broth. Soft, delicate and deeply comforting, they arrive at the table like a warm embrace while the rain continues to fall outside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We end with Nicolle&#8217;s favourite dessert: a chestnut cake served with cream gelato, almond biscuits and a pine bud resin syrup made by Noris. Proof, perhaps, that Matteo has officially passed Noris&#8217;s test of character and been deemed &#8220;a good person.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sitting around a table like this \u2013 surrounded by mountains, the quiet of the forest and the easy familiarity that can emerge even among people who&#8217;ve only just met \u2013 you begin to understand that, here, luxury has very little to do with extravagance. It&#8217;s found instead in time, in care, and in simply being present.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"is-style-answer wp-block-paragraph\">N: &#8220;A lot of athletes, especially alpinists, see the mountains as something to conquer. For me, it&#8217;s almost the opposite. The summit isn&#8217;t what matters most, it&#8217;s the path that leads you there. That&#8217;s where you come face to face with yourself: your fears, the obstacles you&#8217;ve overcome, the excitement, the adrenaline. In the end, the real journey isn&#8217;t the summit. It&#8217;s everything that happens on the way up.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1030\" height=\"686\" src=\"https:\/\/cookinc.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Brenta-Open-1a-selezione-Frizzera-WEB-73-1030x686.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-416747\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cookinc.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Brenta-Open-1a-selezione-Frizzera-WEB-73-1030x686.jpg 1030w, https:\/\/cookinc.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Brenta-Open-1a-selezione-Frizzera-WEB-73-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cookinc.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Brenta-Open-1a-selezione-Frizzera-WEB-73-1620x1080.jpg 1620w, https:\/\/cookinc.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Brenta-Open-1a-selezione-Frizzera-WEB-73-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/cookinc.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Brenta-Open-1a-selezione-Frizzera-WEB-73.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1030px) 100vw, 1030px\" \/><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Some places reveal themselves through movement. Through the rhythm of a breath, the pull of the wind, the strain in your legs after a long climb, or the quiet satisfaction of sitting down to eat when the day is done. In Trentino, nature doesn&#8217;t simply frame daily life, it shapes it. 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