Trentino-South Tyrol · Trento
Moena
The largest village in Val di Fassa, Ladin-speaking, dressed in Ottoman costume for three days every August.
Known for
LA TURCHIA
Three-day August festival reenacting an Ottoman janissary's arrival in Moena after the 1683 Siege of Vienna, with costumes, a sultan and Turkish flags hung from windows.
LADIN VAL DI FASSA
About three-quarters of residents speak Ladin as their first language. Moena holds the seat of the Comun General de Fascia, the Ladin institutional body.
DOMENICO CHIOCCHETTI
Moena painter who decorated the Italian Chapel on Lamb Holm in Orkney while held there as a prisoner of war, then returned to live in the village.
When to visit
Best · Jun–Sep, Dec–Mar
- J
- F
- M
- A
- M
- J
- J
- A
- S
- O
- N
- D
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
The festa: Vigilio di Trento, 26 June
Why come
Moena sits at 1,184 metres at the entrance to Val di Fassa, the Ladin valley that climbs north toward Canazei and the Sella massif. About three-quarters of residents speak Ladin as their first language. The village holds the seat of the Comun General de Fascia, the institutional body of the Ladin minority in Trentino.
Its signature curiosity is La Turchia di Moena, a three-day August festival in which residents dress as Ottoman janissaries and crown an elder as sultan, commemorating a Turkish soldier said to have been left behind after the failed Siege of Vienna in 1683. The other story locals carry is Domenico Chiocchetti, the painter who decorated the Italian Chapel on Lamb Holm in Orkney as a prisoner of war and returned to Moena to live the rest of his life. The Church of San Vigilio holds his work as well.
The Sunday letter
We haven’t written Moena’s letter yet.
One town every Sunday, with the photo, the food, the festa. Be there when this one comes up. Free, by Peter & Sophia from Pietrasanta.
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What to see
Chiesa di San Vigilio
Parish church first consecrated in 1164, rebuilt across the centuries, with a gilded wooden altar by Valentino Poschiavin (1715) and 18th-century paintings by Valentino Rovisi.
Chiesa di San Volfango
Small Romanesque church next to the parish, with 15th-century frescoes and a wooden Baroque ceiling carved by Giovanni Guadagnini in the 17th century.
Museo Ladin de Fascia (sezione Moena)
The Ladin cultural museum network with a Moena exhibit on local language, costume and rural life in the lower Val di Fassa.
Val San Pellegrino
Side valley climbing southeast from Moena toward the Passo San Pellegrino and the Marmolada group, with summer alpine pastures and winter ski runs.
Alpe Lusia
Plateau above Moena reached by cable car, with views onto the Catinaccio, Latemar and Pale di San Martino in the southern Dolomites.
The slow-trip planner
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We recommend
Where to eat and stay
Not our picks, but places the guides put their name to — a Michelin star, a Gambero Rosso fork, a Slow Food snail, a Michelin Key for the hotels. Worth a table, a counter, or a night when you pass through.
InAlto Alfio Ghezzi DolomitesBistrot
InAlto Alfio Ghezzi Dolomites carries two Gambero Rosso tables, plus a spot in the Michelin Guide.
Malga PannaRistorante
Malga Panna holds one Michelin star and two Gambero Rosso forks (85/100).
Malga RoncacAgriturismo
Malga Roncac holds a Gambero Rosso listing and a spot in the Michelin Guide.
Agritur El MasRistorante
Agritur El Mas holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand.
ForestaRistorante
Foresta has a Michelin Bib Gourmand to its name.
Ostaria TyrolRistorante
A Michelin Bib Gourmand, at Ostaria Tyrol.
Living here
- Population 2,563
- Off the beaten pathi
- Pharmacy in town
- Nearest airport Venice, 2 h 30 min drive
- Regional capital Bolzano, 1 h 5 min drive
Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources
Recognised as
The numbers
- Elevation: 1184 m
- Population: 2,563
- Surface area: 82.6 km²
These figures were compiled from public directories — ISTAT, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata — and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.
Close by
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