Malga Millegrobbe Restaurant
Malga Millegrobbe is a mountain dairy farm and restaurant on the Lavarone plateau in Trentino, at approximately 1,200 metres above sea level. A malga is the traditional Alpine institution of a high-altitude summer dairy farm where cattle are moved for seasonal pasture — a practice documented in Trentino since at least the 13th century and still continued today, making these farms living repositories of Alpine agropastoral heritage.
At a glance
- Type
- Malga (Alpine dairy farm) with restaurant
- Location
- Lavarone plateau, Autonomous Province of Trento, Trentino, Italy
- Coordinates
- 45.9365° N, 11.3202° E
- Region
- Altipiani Cimbri, Trentino
- Elevation
- Approximately 1,200 m a.s.l., Lavarone plateau
Overview
Lavarone is a municipality on the Altipiani Cimbri — the Cimbrian Highlands — an upland plateau in the autonomous province of Trento that has been continuously inhabited since at least the medieval period. The plateau takes its name from the Cimbri, a Germanic population that settled these highlands from the 14th century onwards and retained a distinct linguistic heritage into the 20th century. Today Lavarone is known for its summer hiking, winter skiing, and the network of First World War fortifications and battlefields that scar its high ground.
History
The practice of transhumance — moving cattle to high Alpine pastures in summer and returning them to valley farms for winter — has been central to the economy of the Trentino highlands since the Middle Ages. Malghe on the Lavarone plateau are documented in communal land records from the 13th century onwards, when the “Magnifica Comunità degli Altipiani Cimbri” regulated access to common pastures. The First World War (1915–1918) transformed the Lavarone plateau into a heavily fortified zone; Forte Belvedere-Gschwent, a Habsburg-era fortress, remains one of the best-preserved of the plateau’s defensive structures.
What you see
The Lavarone plateau in summer presents a landscape of open meadows, mixed conifer and beech forest, and traditional malga farm buildings — low stone structures with wooden roofing typical of the Trentino Alpine vernacular. The restaurant component of a functioning malga typically serves products made on the premises: fresh and aged cheeses, butter, smoked meats, and polenta. Views from the plateau extend across the Pre-Alps to the Adige valley and the Dolomite massifs to the north.
Cultural significance
The malga institution is recognised by scholars of Alpine culture as one of the most durable forms of pre-industrial landscape management in the Italian Alps, shaping the ecology, language, and gastronomy of Trentino over seven centuries. The Lavarone plateau carries additional historical significance as a Great War landscape; its combination of natural and military heritage makes it one of the most layered heritage territories in northeastern Italy. Local cheese production traditions from the Altipiani Cimbri are tied to the Trentino Grana and Spressa delle Giudicarie PDO designations.
Practical information
- Address
- Lavarone plateau, Trentino — check official listings for the exact address
- Hours
- Seasonal; typically open June–October. Check official website for current hours
- Reservations
- Recommended, especially at peak season; contact directly
Getting there
Lavarone is accessible by car from Rovereto (A22 motorway exit Rovereto Sud) via the SS350 road climbing to the plateau, a drive of approximately 25 km. There is no direct train service to the plateau; the nearest railway stations are Rovereto and Trento. Local buses connect the plateau to Rovereto on a seasonal schedule. The plateau road is open year-round but winter driving requires snow chains or winter tyres.