The people of Val di Fiemme attachment to their territory and their tendency to self-government are the fundamentals of the “Magnifica Comunità della Val di Fiemme”, an institution, established in the 12th century, which was given an independent administration by the bishop of Trento.

During the centuries, the Comunità, a kind of rough republic, has been able to defend its independence and its features from foreign intrusions. The valley is divided into “regole” which enclose the valley’s towns, whose representatives elect each year the Scario, the Comunità’s president. 
The institution manages the territory goods, such as: woods, mountain huts, meadows, cattle pasture, hunting and fishing, adopting a Longobardic rotation system. Moreover it also takes care of legal matters and the arguments were discussed at the Parco della Pieve in Cavalese, still called “banco della reson”, the judgment desk.

The Magnifica Comunità di Fiemme's privileges came to an end when they were abolished by the Bavarian government in 1807. Although it lost its centuries-old political and administrative role, after several statute's changes nowadays the Magnifica Comunità still remains an active organization in managing the immense woodland heritage of the valley. This is really important not only for a correct forest exploitation, but also for the conservation of the historical, social and cultural identity of this valley.

The Magnifica Comunità is based in its own Palazzo, a building of particular historical significance in Cavalese, which hosts a gallery, a museum and an archive of manuscripts and texts of great historic importance to Val di Fiemme.