Spiazzo: Great White War Museum and sport holidays

Spiazzo, old town of knife sharpeners, is located at the center of the lush green Val Rendena valley in the province of Trento. The village is an ideal destination for families and sportsmen, since it rises near the wonderful Adamello Brenta Nature Park and near the ski areas of Pinzolo and Madonna di Campiglio, where you can practice a lot of winter sports. In Spiazzo you find an interesting museum dedicated to the First World War and a charming parish church.

The municipality of Spiazzo comprises the administrative divisions of Borzago, Fisto, Mortaso and Ches, all surrounded by the mountain groups of Brenta, Adamello and Presanella. Its historical name is Rendena Parish, since the village hosts the main church: St. Vigilius' Church. According to the legend, the saint was martyred here in 405 A.D., when the locals, enraged by his destroying of a pagan monument, beat him to death with poles and clogs (the saint is often depicted with these wooden shoes).

Other main attraction of Spiazzo is the Museo della Grande Guerra Bianca Adamellina (Museum of the Great White War of the Adamello), set up in the old primary school. The Museum "Recuperanti in Rendena" (Salvagers in Rendena) is a collection of finds retrieved from the glaciers of Adamello-Presanella and Ortles-Cevedale. The exhibition includes weapons and personal items, clothes and uniforms, sleds and skis, documents and pictures. The finds were retrieved by the locals who, in order to overcome the post-war economic crisis, searched the mountains for objects left behind by the soldiers for reuse or selling (here's the origin of the salvager job).

Spiazzo features some interesting sport facilities. There is a public swimming pool with services for families, two indoor pools, one of which is Olympic-size, one outdoor pool, a whirlpool, a snack bar and classes of every level. Spiazzo has also a miniature golf course, a football field, a tennis court and a bocce court. Winter sports lovers can practice downhill and cross-country skiing in the near ski areas of Pinzolo and Madonna di Campiglio.

The Mondin Knife Company carries on the ancient tradition of knife sharpeners and is nowadays one of the most productive of Val Rendena.