OUR MAN IN SPIAZZO
The Alto Sarca River tumbles out of the Italian Alps near the picturesque ski villages of Madonna di Campiglio, Pinzolo, and Spiazzo, in the far northern province of Trentino. Touched with a trace of glacier melt, the river runs bluely through vineyards, churchyards, and groves of chestnut and hazelnut trees so iconic to Northern Italy. Last night was windy; I spot some older villagers toeing the leaves beneath the chestnut trees for nuts. Or are they collecting wild mushrooms? It’s October, after all, and we all have harvest on our minds.
The Sarca spills and curves through the valley, cutting under limestone and rolling over diversion dams older than America. Medieval ruins appear in the terraced landscape as naturally as the grape fields worked by the farmers. They stoop to tend their vines, gnarled and yellowed by the first frosty nights. Two teenagers lead a pair of Rendena cows, a breed specific to this valley, up the riverbank as I crawl into my damp waders.
Paolo Ferrazza is one of the few full-time fishing guides in the valley. Now in his forties, Paolo has dedicated his life to flyfishing, flytying, and sharing treasures of the Trentino Province, like alpine lakes where his guests can cast dries to eager browns and char. He grew up on the banks of the Sarca, and he took to flyfishing early in life. This is similar to what happened with most of us, I suppose, but this valley has no fly shops save for a tiny corner in the Rendena Golf Club’s Pro shop, and the apartment of a storied fly-tyer named Diego, in the 13th Century village of Tre Ville. There are no big-name outfitters or fly culture. It’s just Paolo and a few devotees carving out an industry in an area dating back to the Bronze Age.
There’s another American with us. Erik Sanders, owner of Fly Fish Italia, has been exploring the rivers of The Italian Alps for more than a decade; he’s the one who convinced me to come see
