Un Bosco di Libri

A literary festival you read while walking

Un Bosco di Libri is the literary festival that chose to abandon halls and theaters to bring books to where many of the stories they tell are born: in the woods, meadows, and mountain huts of the Trentino Lessinia, the high-altitude territory rising above the town of Ala, in the lower Vallagarina in the province of Trento (Trentino-Alto Adige). The idea is simple and fascinating: authors do not wait for the audience on a stage, but meet them along a trail, sharing the effort of the climb, the landscape, the stops, and the reflections that arise spontaneously while walking.

The heart of the event is the locality of Sega di Ala, the starting point for literary treks towards mountain huts and woods such as Malga Cornafessa, Malga Foppiano, the Prati di Malga Cime, and the famous Bosco della Regina. Each event combines a walk in nature, an open-air book presentation — often under the trees or in front of a mountain hut — and a tasting of typical local products, from Vallagarina wines to cheeses and artisanal bread.

A festival born from volunteering

Un Bosco di Libri is a project entirely based on volunteering, coordinated by the Pro Loco of Ala and supported by a dense network of local associations — including Memores, Turiscoop Lessinia, the Committee for the Church of San Rocco, the Amici del Revoltel, the Elio Orben Mycological Group, the SAT, and the Quei de Fopiam. The event is sponsored by the Municipalities of Ala and Avio and the Ala Municipal Library, with the support of the Cassa Rurale Vallagarina.

Beyond its literary and naturalistic dimension, the festival has cultivated a strong social vocation from the start: in previous editions, the festival entered the correctional facilities of Montorio (Verona) and the Giudecca (Venice), setting up reading spaces reserved for inmates, and collaborated with organizations such as the Parkinson's Association. Culture as a vehicle for community, social integration, and environmental sustainability: this is the guiding theme chosen for the 2026 edition.

Who it is for

The literary treks do not present particular difficulties and include shorter alternative routes, making them accessible even to those who are not expert hikers. Participation is free: an opportunity to combine the discovery of the high Trentino Lessinia, good books, and local flavors, in a format that in Ala has become a highly anticipated appointment of the Trentino cultural summer in just a few years.