Description
The Mòcheno settlement covers the left bank and part of the right bank of the Valle del Fèrsina or Valle dei Mòcheni (Bersntol in the Mòcheno language), a closed valley of glacial origin, the mouth of which is located 3 km north of Pergine Valsugana and at a distance of about 20 km from the Trentino capital. The Mòchena language is spoken in the municipalities of Fierozzo/Vlarotz, Frassilongo/Garait and Palù del Fersina/Palai en Bersntol.
The valley has been exploited since ancient times for its forests, pastures and rich mineral deposits. On the basis of written documents and linguists' analyses, it has been established that the period of settlement of the Mochens began in the 13th century, following one of the various migrations of Bavarian populations that moved from central Europe to the southern Alps to continue the work of transforming the forests into cultivable fields and meadows. Between the 12th and 14th centuries, in fact, in various centres in Veneto and Trentino, in the area between the Adige and Brenta rivers, the phenomenon of deforestation and colonisation of the high lands by German populations took place. At first, farmers, called roncatores (land clearers), settled in the valley. Their arrival was favoured by the high Trentino ecclesiastical hierarchy and the local feudal nobility of Bavarian stock.
The original settlement of settler-farmers was superimposed, between the 15th and 16th centuries, by another migratory wave of miners and entrepreneurs of mainly German origin. These, called cànopi ( knòppn in mòcheno, from the German knappen, miners), were attracted to the area by the discovery of silver, copper and iron mines and further consolidated the roots of the ethnic group. The mining activity of the Mochens reached its peak in the 1500s-1600s, continuing in the following centuries until a few decades ago, when the costs of extraction became excessive, in the face of diminishing returns. From the 18th century onwards, the Mòcheno were granted a licence for itinerant trade throughout the Austro-Hungarian Empire, an activity that is still practised today by some traders, the so-called krumern. This constant contact with the Germanic world is one of the reasons why the Mòcheno language has survived until today, while the other German-speaking settlements in eastern Trentino, with the exception of the Cimbri of Luserna/Lusérn, have died out.
Mòcheno/bersntolerisch, which has the typical characteristics of Middle High Bavarian idioms, was reported from ancient times as an 'Alemannic i.e. German' language and has always been transmitted orally. The codification took place in the early years of our century on the initiative of the Munich Cultural Institute/Bersntoler Kulturinstitut, the Autonomous Region of Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol and with the fundamental contribution of the Bavarian dialect scholar Anthony R. Rowley.
More on the Mòcheno minority
Statistical surveys on the Mòcheno linguistic minority
According to data from the 2021 census, the population of the province of Trento's Mòcheno-speaking population consists of 1,397 inhabitants.
