The afternoon and evening of Wednesday, July 7, are unscheduled so that all QFS2004 participants may see some of the local sites and enjoy Trento and its region. The two excursions described below will be structured. Feel free to join either of these excursions, or to explore the region on your own. In addition, we will prepare a list of interesting sites that can be easily visited by the accompanying persons during the week. This list will be provided at the conference desk.

If you wish to join an excursion on Wednesday, please complete the reservation form and send it by e-mail to the travel agency "Open Viaggi" at the address lia.gardumi@openviaggi.com, before June 30th, indicating the chosen excursion, your name and the names of additional people, if any. The cost of the excursion must be paid in cash at the conference desk. For those who join the excursion a packed lunch will be provided at the end of the morning session.
 

Excursion n.1: VAL GARDENA AND ALPE DI SIUSI
roundtrip fee: 68 euro / person (including evening meal)
departure/arrival: 12.40 from conference site / approx. 22.00 in downtown Trento.
to select it: complete and send the reservation form before June 30.

Detailed proposal: The bus will leave at 12.40 from the conference site. It will run through the Adige Valley, to Bolzano and Chiusa, and enter the Gardena Valley in the beautiful Dolomites area. After about 90 km, it will arrive in Ortisei, the main village of the Gardena Valley (inhabitants: 5500; altitude: 1236 m). This town, with its old and solid mercantile tradition and rich history, has a particular urban plan that blends harmoniously with the landscape. A comfortable cablecar will bring us up to the Alpe di Siusi at an elevation of about 2000 m, where we can enjoy the scenery of the Dolomites. We will walk around on the plateau, which is the largest high altitude alpine meadow and one of the most- famous winter sport and hiking regions of Europe, with 52 square km of alpine meadows in a setting of rugged mountains. At about 17.00 we will come down to Ortisei, where we stay to visit its centre. An interesting "Ladin Museum" can also be visited (7 euro, not included in the fee). At about 18.30 the bus will depart towards the Adige Valley. At 20 Km north from Trento, we will stop at the Cantina Rotaliana di Mezzolombardo, a wine-makers cooperative store where the famous "Teroldego" red wine is produced. The Piana Rotaliana is a wide plain lined with gently sloping vineyards, where the Teroldego grapes have been cultivated for many centuries. After a visit to the Cantina, a rustic dinner/buffet will be offered with wine tasting. The bus will return to Trento downtown at about 22.00. Everyone is advised to wear confortable hiking or trecking shoes, and carry a light, waterproof jacket. The weather may rapidly change on the Dolomites. An English-speaking guide will accompany us on the trip.

Pictures: Dolomites and Alpe di Siusi (left) and Ortisei (right)

 

Excursion n.2: VALLE DEI LAGHI E LAGO DI GARDA
roundtrip fee: 45 euro / person (evening meal not included)
departure/arrival: 12.40 from conference site / approx. 19.30 in downtown Trento.
to select it: complete and send the reservation form before June 30.

Detailed proposal: The bus will leave at 12.40 from the conference site. It will run through the Adige Valley and Lagarina Valley and stop, after about 60 km, in the village of Canale di Tenno in the Garda Valley. Canale is a very small medieval town, with beautiful rural architecture, narrow cobbled streets, small squares, and wooden balconies. We will stay in Canale for a guided walking. Then we will visit the little church of San Lorenzo, close to the castle of Tenno. The church is a Romanesque building located at the extreme southern tip of the village of Frapporta, where the view stretches out to the Sarca plain and to Lake Garda. After this visit, we will go down to Riva del Garda. This is a small city rich with history, situated in a special position amid the Alps, lapped by the lake which gives it a Mediterranean atmosphere. After a visit to Riva, the bus will enter the Sarca Valley (also named Valle dei Laghi) in the direction of Trento, passing close to the beautiful Arco Castle, the Drena Castle and the famous Marocche, a sort of stony desert of post-glacial epoch, with a mass of rocks of 187 millions of cubic meters. Near the evocative Lake of Toblino, we will stop at the Cantina Pisoni for a wine tasting. The Cantina Pisoni is specially known for a Passito wine called "Vino Santo". The bus will arrive in Trento at about 19.30, in time for dinner (not included). An English-speaking guide will accompany us on the trip.

Pictures: Small and big lakes, and medieval sites