Verdignes Pear Flour Autumn

Pear flour is an ancient sweetener: When refined sugar was still unaffordable, pears were harvested, cored, and dried. After grinding, the dried pears, known as "Kloazen", became "Birmehl" (pear flour). The area around Verdignes and Pardello above Chiusa was perfectly suited for this, as numerous pear trees grow here. Today sugar is cheap, which is why the complex and time-consuming production of "Birmehl" has been discontinued in many places.

In Verdignes, the tradition is still upheld: Old rural customs are revived with a festival and delicious dishes made from pear flour. Every year in September, the programme of the Verdignes Pear Flour Autumn (Verdingser Birmehlherbst) offers night hikes in addition to culinary delights. During these hikes, stops are made at three establishments along the "Birmehl" Trail.

They are held during the culinary week, in which four local establishments will treat you to various specialities based on the theme of pear flour. The fitting conclusion to the Verdignes Pear Flour Autumn week is the Birmehlsunntig (Pear Flour Sunday) with 12 stations offering regional specialities related to the theme, along with live music and children's entertainment.

Incidentally, the aforementioned themed trail, the "Birmehl" Trail, leads in one and a half hours from the village square in Verdignes down across the dry grasslands on the south side of the church hill to the hamlet of Pardello. From Pardello, the route goes up to the Moar zu Viersch farm and back to the starting point in Verdignes via an old paved path. The hike is classified as easy.