How women are helping to shape the future in Garda Trentino

A 50-year-old winery, a gourmet restaurant and a mountain hut at 1,600 meters in Garda Trentino have one thing in common: they are all run by women from the region. The different stories of three businesswomen and what they have in common.

Three women in leading roles

Garda Trentino is known for its culinary delights and top-quality local products. However, few people know the people behind these special products and the passion they put into their creations. Today, more and more women are taking on leading roles and shaping the image of northern Italy.

Giulia Pedrini, Evelyn Dalgliesh and Valentina Santoni are leading the way. Together, they talk about the challenges they face as managers in their companies. They also share how they have been successful in their sometimes male-dominated professions.

Winemaker Giulia Pedrini’s path in the family business

Giulia Pedrini can no longer remember exactly when she joined her family’s business. Her parents’ house in the Valle dei Laghi is directly adjacent to the family’s wine cellars, so Pedrini spent the afternoons of her childhood playing among old wine barrels and bottles and building cardboard doll’s houses.

It was an obvious step for her to complete a diploma as a wine technician alongside her studies in economics and business management. This Vineyards has been owned by the Pedrini family since 1974.

Pravis- The Winery

The name “Pravis” represents the Estate connection to its region. The close relationship to the roots in Garda Trentino is reflected in the grape varieties grown. These include old Trentino grape varieties such as Nosiola and Negrara, which represent the region, while Sauvignon and Pinot are particularly popular today.

The cultivation of resistant Piwi varieties is intended to secure the future. Her parents have always been open to the ideas of Giulia and her sister Erika and encouraged them to try new things. “Women today have many more opportunities and have an advantage in tasting because of their taste buds,” says Giulia Pedrini.

When faced with an important decision, she reflects on her father’s advice: “Do what you think is right, but take responsibility for your actions.”

Evelyn Dalgliesh was drawn to Arco

Having grown up near Brisbane, Evelyn Dalgliesh moved to Arco in Garda Trentino for love. Here, together with her partner Carlo, she runs the Locanda53, a bed and breakfast with an adjoining restaurant. Since 2023, their restaurant, called “SupperClub” has been listed in the Michelin Guide.

Evelyn Dalgliesh discovered her love for cooking during her childhood in Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia. “I remember cooking in the garden with succulents for my teddy bears or trying out a new cheesecake recipe every weekend later on.”

Today, she and her partner focus on incorporating both the influences from their home countries and flavors that they have encountered on countless trips into their cuisine. Behind apparent simplicity, complex flavors and techniques are hidden. “For us, the greatest compliment is when our dishes take guests back to a happy place.”

“Never let them see you cry.”

During her career, Evelyn Dalgliesh has worked alongside numerous inspiring chefs from around the world, but she has also occasionally reached her limits: “Working in the kitchen is hard—physically and mentally. To ‘survive’ in the kitchen as a woman, I had to toughen up.” Her first mentor as a chef gave her a book whose first sentence was: “Never let them see you cry”.

Today, Evelyn has her own restaurant. In the future, she and her partner plan to expand Locanda53 and work even more with local producers and suppliers.

No electricity and hardly any water – Valentina Santoni’s life as a hut warden

High up in the Ledro Alps, at an altitude of 1,600 meters, the Rifugio Pernici hut is located at Bocca di Trat. It is located between Lake Garda and the Ledro Valley. The hut has room for 28 people and is open daily from May to mid-October. It is a popular starting point for hikes.

The landlady there has been called Valentina Santoni since 2022. Having grown up in Riva del Garda, Valentina initially began training to be a nurse and worked as a summer job at a mountain hut. Since she was a child, she was drawn to the local mountains again and again.

Valentina Santoni quickly realized that working in the mountains was not just a way to earn a little extra money, but her dream job. When the job of running the Bocca di Trat “Nino Pernici” refuge was advertised in 2022, Valentina tried her luck.

Local cuisine and hearty dishes

She has been running the hut in the Ledrens Alps ever since. She spoils her guests with regional cuisine and hearty dishes. Far away from modern comforts, she likes to compare life in the mountains to life on an island – without electricity and with little water.

“You have to watch your waste and respect the environment and its natural rhythms,” she says. The biggest challenge for her is finding a solution to every problem on her own, since quick help from the valley is simply too far away.

“For the future, I hope to be able to stay at the hut for as long as possible. In just two years, I have made so many memories here that it has become my second home. Even though I love traveling and discovering new places, for me this region is paradise.”