“Maso with a press, with vineyards, with terraced fields and woods.” So named already in 1429 in the Lona assessment, Sottolona is a small and beautiful hamlet of Lona Lases. However, it was in the 1600s when the first document was drawn up in the “notary’s room” in Cembra, recording the intention of the inhabitants of Lona, Sottolona, and Piazzole to maintain relations with the people of Cembra and the towns of the Konigsberg Jurisdiction. The connecting bridge to Cembra faced numerous changes over the centuries: it was cut during the French invasions of 1796-1797, reconstructed, and finally repaired in 1964 with steel beams and larch planks that, however, did not withstand the flood of 1966. A shrine, blessed in 1856, still stands guard over the quiet hamlet. It was built by the six families living in Sottolona, with the commitment to take care of it in turns for a year, ringing the Ave Maria three times a day and half an hour before Mass in Lona on feast days.

“SALTED OR SMOKED MEAT.” Processed meat, to be consumed raw or cooked, obtained from the hindquarters of various animals such as pork, horse, donkey, wether, goat, deer, or roe deer, with a characteristic and aromatic scent, tender when cut, and a beautiful bright red color. When subjected to smoking, it is called “Smoked Meat,” which has a darker external color and the characteristic scent and flavor of smoked products. The portions of meat used, weighing approximately 1-2 kg for beef and horse, and much less for other species, are placed in special containers and coated with a dry brine made of salt, black pepper, juniper berries, laurel, cinnamon, and cloves, all moistened with white wine. After resting for at least 20 days, it is then placed in specific rooms for a brief maturation. If smoked, the process takes place in dedicated rooms using grape or beechwood sprinkled with juniper needles.