Until a few years ago it was believed that the ancestors of the local people traced back to an ancient tribe from Denmark, due to the Northern European linguistic roots and traditions. However, nowadays a more convincing theory confirms that modern people of the Plateau descend from Bavarian settlers, who came to these mountains around the year 1000.
The so-called Cimbrian language was spoken on the whole Plateau until the First World War. Even today, some people of the villages of Rotzo, Mezzaselva and Roana speak Cimbrian and many geographical names in the area come from this ancient language.
TheInstitute of Cimbrian Culture, together with the Cimbrian Museum, organizes in Roana many conferences and seminars and publishes a lot of articles about Cimbrian language, customs and traditions.