Centa San Nicolò on the Vigolana: Trails, Water and History
Accommodation in Centa San Nicolò
Centa San Nicolò on the Vigolana
Centa San Nicolò lies on the western side of the Vigolana at an altitude of 833 m. For your travel planning, the area combines mountain trails, the waterscape of the Torrente Centa, historical traces and the chestnut culture of the Valle del Centa.
File:Centa San Nicolò, chiesa di San Nicolò nuova.jpg
Photo: Syrio via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Hiking between forest and mountain ridge
The Trekking del Gusto is a 4 km-long, partly unpaved hike through chestnut groves, with tastings of products from the Vigolana. Another starting point for a mountain excursion is on the S.P. 349 della Fricca near Bar Ristorante Sindech: this is where SAT trail 442 begins, leading along a wooded, steeply rising route to Rifugio Casarota. From there, the trail continues to the ridge between Bècco di Filadonna and Terza Cima.
Rifugio Paludei can be reached via the paved SS della Fricca, slightly above the town centre of Centa San Nicolò. Alternatively, an approximately 3 km-long forest road leads there from Malga Doss del Bue at 1,027 m; this forest road is closed to cars. The rifugio serves as a starting and rest point for hikes at lower elevations, walks and cycling routes, as well as for more demanding excursions to Rifugio Casarota, Monte Spilech, Becco di Filadonna and Bivacco “alla Madonnina”, with its distinctive rock spire. From Frisanchi, the highest hamlet of the former municipality of Centa San Nicolò, a forest road leads to SAT trail 444. Bivacco Vigolana was rebuilt in 2016 with an innovative inverted truncated-pyramid design.
Along the Torrente Centa
The Parco fluviale del Torrente Centa preserves and showcases structural remains where the power of the Centa stream once drove mill and sawmill wheels. Improved paths along the stream are suitable for hiking, mountain biking and horse riding. The Torrente Centa forms small white pebble beaches; it is also home to the spectacular Valimpach waterfall.
Historical traces are also part of the surrounding area: in the village of Campregheri there are small fortifications from the First World War. A document dating from 1216 attests to the early development of the settlement of Centa San Nicolò. In it, the Prince-Bishop of Trento, Federico Vanga, assigned the mountain between Folgaria and Centa to Urico and Enrico from Bolzano, so that farmsteads could be built there and the area made fertile and settled.
The historic community of Centa
The community of Centa is said to have been granted a carta di regola as early as 1315. Its historic community included numerous settlements known as masi or frazioni: Tonezzeri, Strada, Conci, Wolfi, Paldaofi, Chiesa, Lambri, Martinelli, Rossi, Uezi, Valle, Doss, Fontani, Sàdleri, Cioli, Pàcheri, Macani, Menegòi, Tiecheri, Frisanchi, Campregheri, Girardi, Gremesi, Pradi, Rauteri and Stauderi.
Chestnut culture in the Valle del Centa
In the Valle del Centa, chestnut growing was a valuable and profitable activity for many years. One kilogram of chestnuts was exchanged for one kilogram of flour; to this day, 800 fruit trees have been recorded there. The Festa della Castagna della Valle del Centa is scheduled for 24 and 25 October 2026 in Centa San Nicolò and is organised by Pro Loco Centa San Nicolò.
Discover more destinations
More destinations for planning your trip to Italy: Riva Del Garda, Ivano-Fracena, Giustino, Molveno, Pochi, Vason, Ossana and Lasino.
Back to the overarching travel overview: Trentino.
