Sagron Mis Festival — Person of the Year

A festival born to give a voice to high-altitude lands

The Sagron Mis Festival — Person of the Year takes place in Sagron Mis, the smallest municipality in the Primiero valley, in the Province of Trento, nestled in the heart of Trentino-Alto Adige at the foot of the Belluno Dolomites. Conceived in 2022 by mountaineer and mountain historian Alessandro Gogna and local administrator Maurizio Lazzaro, the festival has a clear mission: to highlight alpine communities that are resisting depopulation and turning their marginal status into an opportunity for rebirth.

Under the subtitle Recognizing to be recognized, the event annually awards the Person of the Year title to an individual who has enriched mountain life through their work. It is both a symbolic honor and a way to build a network of shared experiences and best practices among Italy's high-altitude regions.

Past editions and protagonists

The inaugural 2022 edition was dedicated to mountaineering and named Maurizio Zanolla, known as Manolo, a pioneer of free climbing and a deep connoisseur of the Primiero area, as Person of the Year. In 2023, the award went to violinist Glauco Bertagnin, who brought classical music back to the mountains with the Solisti Veneti. In 2024, the festival celebrated the ancient craft of the seggiolai (chair makers) of Sagron Mis and named writer and mountaineer Mauro Corona as Person of the Year, who engaged in a dialogue with Alessandro Gogna on the future of alpine communities.

The fourth edition, held in September 2025, focused on the depopulation of high-altitude areas, featuring the testimony of the mayor of Ostana, in Piedmont, a community that has become a symbol of alpine rebirth, transforming from a nearly abandoned village into a vibrant town once again.

Hiking, meetings, music, and tradition

The festival weaves together various disciplines over two days. Mornings are dedicated to guided hikes through the Dolomite landscape, accompanied by historical and environmental storytelling; afternoons feature debates on how to live in the mountains in harmony with the environment and local economic needs. The program also includes tributes to local craftsmanship, particularly the tradition of the chair makers, and concerts, often featuring string instruments, which bring a cultural dimension to the mountains.

• Hikes with historical and mountaineering narratives
• Meetings and debates on depopulation and the future of alpine communities
• Exhibitions and workshops on the traditional craft of chair making
• Classical music concerts and a country lunch offered by the Pro Loco
• Award ceremony for the Person of the Year

A free event in the heart of Primiero

The event is free to attend and is organized by the Municipality of Sagron Mis in collaboration with the local Pro Loco and the Tourist Board (APT) of San Martino di Castrozza, Primiero, and Vanoi. It is an appointment that combines slow tourism, culture, and civic engagement, ideal for those looking to discover an authentic corner of Trentino far from the most crowded destinations, set between two natural parks and beneath the peaks of the Dolomites.