“Where are you from?”

“Italy.”

This answer is usually enough to make eyes sparkle, while images of excellent food, stunning architecture and picture-perfect Tuscan countryside flood the mind of the person I’m talking to. It is, however, a short-lived dream, which gets abruptly interrupted by the question that normally comes next.

“What part of Italy?”

“I’m from Trentino – South Tyrol.”

The sparkling eyes fade into a puzzled look.

“It’s a region in Northern Italy” I add convincingly.

Nothing.

“…bordering on Austria and Switzerland…?”

Nothing. No sign of recollection. The sparkle has gone.

The truth is, most people don’t know about my region. And even when they do, they don’t normally associate it with Italy. In all fairness, it doesn’t quite look like Italy.

Villanderer Alp (1,880 m) – South Tyrol, Italy

Villanderer Alp (1,935 m) – South Tyrol, Italy

Nearly completely mountainous, Trentino – South Tyrol is a land of forests and lakes, where villages are small and isolated and cows still graze freely in high mountain pastures, often with the stunning Dolomites as a backdrop. I affectionately think of it as my own version of The Shire, as I can hardly imagine a place more beautiful, more peaceful or more bucolic.

Villanderer Alp (1,972 m) – South Tyrol, Italy

My Canon and I at 1,977 m, bringing you South Tyrol in white (Photo by Harald Steier)

Villanderer Alp (2,021 m) – South Tyrol, Italy

There is something almost magical about it. Despite being born and raised here, I can’t help being fascinated by the sheer beauty of its landscapes. I feel grateful and proud that I can call this place home and I know that – wherever life will take me and no matter which new summits I’ll climb – these are, and always will be, my mountains.

I’m from Trentino – South Tyrol. And I look forward to sharing more of it with you.

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Date of travel: 22nd March 2013