Nova Levante
Exploring Nova Levante: the Italian mountain municipality
Welcome to Nova Levante, a mountain municipality in Trentino-Alto Adige with a population of around 2000 people. German and Ladino, the Romance language spoken by the Ladino ancestors of the area, are spoken here. Come and discover everything there is to know about this small town nestled in the Dolomites.
Physical Geography
The municipality of Nova Levante is located in the autonomous province of Bolzano and also includes the locality of Carezza al Lago, a renowned summer and winter tourist destination. The Lake Carezza, with its emerald green color, is located at an altitude of about 1500 meters and is surrounded by the famous massifs of Catinaccio and Latemar. This area is ideal for mountain trekking during the warmer months, while in the winter, one can enjoy the magic of the snow with various activities such as alpine skiing and snowboarding.
Origins of the name
The toponym of Nova Levante comes from Latin "nova," which means "recently cultivated land." The term "Welschnofen" in German language means that the town was originally inhabited by Tyrolean speakers of Ladino or Italian (Trentino), while "Deutschnofen" means that it was inhabited by Tyrolean German language speakers.
History
Nova Levante has ancient and interesting origins. Over the centuries, shepherds in the Val di Fassa built houses near their summer pastures so they could carry out their activities year-round and increasingly cultivated the forests down to the valley. The first settlement of Nova Levante is mentioned in the years 1142-1147 under the name of "Noue," meaning "clearing, new land." The new porphyry and limestone frame found at the entrance of the town testifies to its origin. The small coat of arms is that of the Novacella Abbey to which Nova Levante was subjected for many centuries. In the following years, the area began to be populated by German-speaking settlers, and the original Ladino dialect disappeared.
Monuments and places of interest
Among the most interesting religious buildings in Nova Levante is the 11th-century Christian church, which is located on the site of an ancient pagan temple. In addition, a legend tells that the first inhabitants of the place had settled "Im Loch" and on the "Zischgl," where they wanted to build a church. In the end, however, they decided to convert the existing pagan temple into a Christian church. Another must-see attraction is the Grand Hotel Karersee, a luxury hotel built-in 1896 in the Liberty style, overlooking the Lake Carezza.
Symbols
The coat of arms of Nova Levante depicts the coat of arms of Judge Bartlmä von Pretzenberg, one of the landowners of the area. Furthermore, the talking arms for ''Pretzenberg'' consist of a "pretzel" above a mountain ("Berg"). The coat of arms was adopted in 1967.
Conclusions
Nova Levante is an interesting and captivating mountain municipality to visit. With its natural beauty, ancient history, and cultural heritage, it presents itself as an ideal destination for mountain and nature lovers. Come and discover all the energy emitted by Nova Levante, and you will be fascinated forever.
