High above, where the Brenta Dolomites touch the sky and the wind whispers to the larches, a mighty wooden bear watches over the valley. The Orso del Pradel is no ordinary bear – it is a sculpture, a myth, a symbol of the silent power of nature. It rises in a clearing near the La Montanara mountain hut, in the quiet village of Tof de l'Ors, as if protecting the land beneath its paws.
It was created by Veneto-born sculptor Marco Martalar, who sought to create a poetic counterweight to the devastating storm Vaia, which devastated entire forests in Trentino and Veneto in 2018. From the shattered branches and wind-torn bark and trunks, he formed a bear—strong, wise, and silent. A totem of resistance, a monument to new beginnings.
The Orso del Pradel is more than a sculpture. It is an encounter. Those who stand before it feel the murmur of the forest, the echo of the mountains, and the pulse of a landscape that is constantly changing yet never fading.
This legendary place can be reached in different ways:
Molveno's ski lifts – a cable car and a chairlift – transport visitors from everyday life up to a world of wonder in less than five minutes. Those who prefer to follow their own pace can tackle the trail on foot:
– in just over an hour from the village of Valbiole,
– in two hours from Molveno,
– or in about forty minutes if you have already reached Pradel.
Whether with panting breath and hiking boots in the morning dew or with shining eyes after a silent ride through the air – arriving at this wooden giant is always a small miracle.
A poetic epilogue
When the evening gold sweeps over the Dolomite peaks and the wind blows through the fur of the wooden bear, it seems to come alive. Then it stands there – not as a silent sculpture, but as a guardian of silence, a watchman of the forests, a quiet promise that something new can grow from the fall. The Orso del Pradel is not just a destination. It is an encounter with the soul of the forest.
