Discover what to do in Recoaro Terme: the festival of gnocchi with fioretta, the Recoaro thermal baths, the Split Mountain. Want to know more? First of all…
Where is Recoaro Terme?
The municipality of Recoaro Terme borders to the north with Valli del Pasubio, to the northeast with Torrebelvicino, to the northwest with Vallarsa, to the south with Altissimo, to the southeast with Valdagno, to the southwest with Crespadoro, to the east with Torrebelvicino and Valdagno, to the west with Vallarsa and Crespadoro.
The festival of gnocchi with fioretta
The traditional gastronomic event takes place every year between August and September. The 2022 edition was held from Friday 19 to Sunday 21 August and from Friday 26 to Sunday 28.
The dairy specialty from which the festival takes its name attests to the healthiness of the Alpine pastures of the Piccole Dolomiti, an ideal environment for grazing thanks to the mild climate and fertile soil.
Fioretta is a soft ricotta obtained from the whey left over at the end of the cheesemaking process. Heated to a temperature of 80°C, the whey is mixed with an acidifying agent that can be either chemical, such as magnesium chloride, or organic, through a type of Lactobacilli capable of acidifying milk naturally to produce a product with superior organoleptic qualities.
Gnocchi with fioretta is prepared by mixing flour fiore with the delicious dairy product, then the dough is portioned with a spoon and dropped into salted boiling water.
The program includes musical parades during which the wooden tubs used to prepare cheese are beaten like drums with the spanarola, a tool for mixing milk with rennet, while other musicians in folkloric costumes keep the rhythm by shaking cowbells.
If you are wondering what to do in Recoaro Terme and wish to discover the flavors and aromas of a dream location among towering snow-covered heights, sunny pastures, and mouth-watering specialties, attending the festival of gnocchi with fioretta might be just what you need!
The Recoaro thermal baths
Harmoniously nestled in the wooded slopes of the Piccole Dolomiti, the Emerald Basin is known for the regenerating quality of five mineral springs called Lora, Lorgna, Amara, Nuova, and Lelia, whose waters are distinguished by their beneficial and therapeutic properties.
The high alkalinity and richness of mineral salts and trace elements make these pristine springs a coveted destination for centuries for anyone wishing to strengthen their body and delight their senses in a charming environment enveloped by dense vegetation of beech, fir, chestnut and majestic Atlantic cedars.
The Split Mountain
About 200 million years ago, the center of Pangea began to tear apart and the Tethys Ocean spread between the supercontinents Eurasia and Gondwana.
Between 180 and 160 million years ago, the African plate moved southeast separating from the American plate. Between the two blocks, the Central Atlantic Ocean formed.
This movement caused the formation of the Ligurian-Piedmontese Ocean between the European plate and the promontory of the African plate called Adria.
Originating from fractures caused by tectonic movements, magma petrifies on contact with water, generating basalt rock formations. In the deep basin, limestone deposits and marine sediments (algae, bacteria, muds, and mucilages) accumulate.
During the Late Cretaceous, between 100 and 90 million years ago, the separation of the African plate from the South American plate led to the birth of the South Atlantic Ocean. The counterclockwise rotation of the African plate toward the northeast caused the closure of the Ligurian-Piedmontese Ocean and the collision of the Adria microplate against the European continental plate. The Italian peninsula began to take shape.
This collision, from 60 to 30 million years ago, led to the formation of the Alpine and Prealpine mountain ranges.
The birth of the Split Mountain
Emerged from the waters during the orogenesis process mentioned above, the enormous mass of the seabed was slowly sculpted and carved by atmospheric phenomena and the winding course of the Torrazzo stream that furrowed its surface.
Over millions of years, the incessant work of the stream gave rise to the dizzying perspectives of sinuous rock walls from which crystalline waterfalls cascade, whose roar announces from afar the depth of the chasms into which the icy stream plunges.
If you are wondering what to do in Recoaro Terme and you are passionate about hiking, the Split Mountain offers breathtaking panoramic views of a primordial and unspoiled world.
A complex system of steel stairs and walkways allows one to quickly conquer the steep slopes of the cliff, from whose summit, through a thin slit of blue sky, brilliant sun rays slip into the natural cavity veiled in moss and, splitting its abysses, create evocative and ever-changing plays of light and shadow.
