Dandelion. A symbol of a place.

The value of a wild herb over time

Since 1996, the dandelion weeks have shaped the rhythm of spring in the Upper Val di Non. What began as a simple idea around a wild herb has become a meaningful part of our identity.

Here, dandelion is not a secondary element. It grows in our meadows, finds its way into the kitchen, and is part of a knowledge passed down through generations. From this connection, something distinct has emerged: an initiative that brings together hosts, producers and people, giving the region a clear and recognizable voice.

The dandelion weeks show how something simple can become a cultural sign. They connect gastronomy and nature, lived tradition and new impulses. It is in the kitchen, above all, that this becomes tangible – where bitterness turns into depth, and a wild herb into a taste that tells the story of a place.

Since 1996, personalities such as herbal priest Hermann Josef Weidinger – along with other voices from herbal knowledge and botany – have helped shape a more conscious understanding of the relationship between people and plants. Not merely as active substances, but as part of a deeper way of understanding nature.

Dandelion is therefore much more than a seasonal theme. It is an expression of a living space at the intersection of languages and cultures, a connecting element – between landscape and people, between past and present.

It is the continuity of an idea that has grown over time – and continues to grow.

Mirko Mocatti, Host at Zum Hirschen