The inhabitants have always called it "La Busa". This green plain, with
Tione in the centre, is situated in the heart of Val Giudicarie. For
centuries it has been a sort of natural crossroads for Lombardy,
through Valle del Chiese, or toward Pinzolo an Valle Rendena, or Ponte
Arche and Trento, or Bleggio and Riva del Garda over the Duron Pass.
Closed by the peaks of Adamello, Brenta and the last slopes of the Ledro Alps,
this vast plain, through which the Sarca and Arno torrents flow, is dotted
with eight villages dating back at leat to the year one thousand.
Centres of mainly agricultural tradition in which, today, a family type
of tourism has developed, they are characterised by many small hamlets,
sometimes of only three or four houses. On the mountainside, at the edge
of the fields, there are many attractive huts in wood and stone (featuring
blocks of pepper and salt coloured granite) for keeping the hay.
The grass, cut with meticulous care right to the edge of the wood, is vital
for feeding the cattle and therefore for the difficult and hard earned
life of the farm.
For the whole of the 19th century this valley suffered mass emigration,
especially to Canada and the United States where the men often found work
as grinders and women worked in the clothing industry. The extremely poor
mountain agriculture left no alternative. The abandonment of their land
and home and uprooting of their origins have left a mark on the life
of the people and caused a thousand human vicissitudes.
The economy has improved, thanks to the establishment of some small
industries and craft centres, but mostly due to the tourist activity these
villages have elected to undertake with increasing decision in recent
years. There are many fish farms, fed by the clear water of the Sarca,
in which excellent salmon and brook trout are bred.
There are many pleasant walks on the Tione mountain from where you can
enjoy a magnificent view of Care' Alto and Brenta, towards the Valbona
lakes on Durone and Cima Serra and towards Gavardina and the Ledro Alps.