Aperilibro di Spirito: Stories, Grappa and Puzzone Tasting in Moena

Aperilibro di Spirito brings mountain tradition to the Piazzetta Perle Alpine in Moena, a small town in the Fassa Valley of Trentino-Alto Adige, Italy. This intimate evening event pairs storytelling, tasting, and local knowledge to reveal life on the alpeggio—the high pasture where cheese and culture meet. Led by agronomist and malgaro Francesco Gubert, the program reads like a short walk through summer pastures. Gubert, author of Lassù in malga tutto è concesso. 40 storie minime di vita in alpeggio, draws on decades of hands-on experience as a cheesemaker and pasture manager to translate the rhythms of mountain farming into vivid, approachable scenes. During the session he prepares a cocktail of Grappa Trentina and serves it alongside plates of Puzzone di Moena DOP, a robust, washed-rind cheese historically produced in these alpine communes. The setting matters: Moena sits beneath limestone spires of the Dolomites, part of the UNESCO World Heritage range, surrounded by alpeggi where cows graze on diverse alpine grasses and herbs that shape the flavor of the milk. The Piazzetta Perle Alpine—where the event meets at 17.30 on Friday during the Festival del Puzzone di Moena Dop—offers a compact urban stage with views toward craggy peaks and traditional Ladin architecture. If weather forces a move indoors, the organizers shift to Sala Rovisi in the municipal building. Expect an hour-long, accessible experience that blends narrative with tasting. Highlights include listening to short, human-scale stories about milking, seasonal migration to high pastures, and the communal work of casari and pastori; a live demonstration of the cocktail preparation; and a guided pairing that shows how alpine forage and production methods create the Puzzone’s distinctive aroma and texture. The event is family-friendly but confirmed only with a minimum of five participants. Practical details: the program is timed for Friday 18 September at 17.30; bring curiosity and a notepad for tasting notes. In September the valley is cooling toward autumn, so a light jacket helps. Accessibility and group size details are limited in the listing; contact the festival or host for specifics. Whether you are a cheese enthusiast, a lover of mountain stories, or a traveler looking for cultural context before a hike into the high pastures, Aperilibro di Spirito compresses a season of alpine life into an evocative hour of taste and tale. Arrive early to absorb the piazza atmosphere, visit nearby market stalls that showcase local honey and cured meats, and pair the tasting with a stroll past the church of San Vigilio to see carved wooden balconies and votive plaques. If you have extra time, book a mountaintop walk the next day to see the alpine meadows that feed the cheeses; the connection between pasture and plate becomes unmistakably clear.