Valle di Cembra and the Earth Pyramids: Trentino's Fairy Chimneys

The Valle di Cembra is known — when it is known at all — for the Müller Thurgau grown on its terraced slopes, a fresh white wine that a few attentive oenologists have begun to promote in recent years. But the geological reason to come here isn't the wine: it's the earth pyramids, erosive formations up to 30 meters tall that dot the valley's left slope in spectacular and entirely unexpected fashion.

What they are and how they form

The Segonzano pyramids — named after the hamlet from which the main formations are accessed — are the result of millennia of selective erosion. An erratic boulder, deposited by the glaciers of the last ice age, protects the column of soft earth beneath it from the action of rain. The surrounding earth erodes; the column remains. The result is pointed spires with a stone cap, identical in form to those of the Valley of Wonders in France or the fairy chimneys of Turkish Cappadocia, but just a few kilometers from Trento. The visit is free, and the equipped trail is open year-round.

The path among the pyramids

From Segonzano, the trail descends about 400 meters of elevation toward the valley floor and then climbs back for a loop of about 3 hours. The largest pyramids are found in the first section, visible from an equipped viewpoint with explanatory panels in Italian and German. The silence is almost total: a few German hikers in the low season, Trentino families on September weekends. There are no bars or restaurants along the route: bring water and something to eat.

The wine valley and villages not to miss

Heading up the valley toward Cembra, local wineries are open for visits by appointment — the Cantina di Cembra produces a Müller Thurgau IGT worth tasting on site. The village of Cembra itself, with its Romanesque parish church and houses pressed against the hillside, has a spontaneous architectural quality that many more famous Trentino villages have lost. The valley is reached from Trento in about 30 minutes along the SS612, a panoramic road with views of Monte Calisio.