The Gleno Alpine Arboretum was born from the happy intuition of an enthusiast of the sector (Piergiorgio Capitanio) who, with the collaboration of the expert connoisseur Manfredo Bendotti ( better known as “Mago”), gave life to a precious exposition where more than 100 typically Scalvine tree species have found a home….but that’s not all!
This is a very large green area (stretching right at the foot of the Gleno Valley, very close to the waters of the Povo stream) where specimens of “scalvini” trees have found their home.
The Arboretum also houses an educational space with a multimedia classroom (also for showing period films), a kiosk, a picnic area with a barbecue, a well, a vegetable garden, and an area where old-fashioned coal (poiat) is still produced.
Particularly rare and valuable turns out to be the collection Museo dei Legni della Valle di Scalve in which, among the rooms set aside for the exhibition, 72 types of wood are shown, described and illustrated by as many cards indicating, in addition to the name scientifically assigned to the plant, their main characteristics, flowering times and “bearing” of the tree.
All this to render a popular service on how the forest still represents a vital reality of mountain areas and can be an exceptional vehicle for spreading culture and tradition typical of a place.
What makes the difference is the not only exhibition proposal offered by the Arboretum: here, in fact, sectors ranging from planting to harvesting of vegetables and tubers, such as the Valley’s typical yellow potato, grown and harvested following traditional methods, can be directly experienced.
Thus, the Arboretum turns out to be most suitable for visits by groups or school groups, who can find a particularly beautiful site here that lends itself to a great many activities.