Category: Experience South Tyrol

Winery Pfitscher | Montagna

How to reach the Wine estate Pfitscher 

The name Pfitscher has always been synonymous with a passion for making great wines. After all, we are in Montagna. Montagna is in the Bassa Atesina, and the Bassa Atesina is wine country! They couldn’t do anything else, even if they wanted to… Thanks to diligence and hard work, the exclusive family winery has positioned itself at the forefront of South Tyrolean winegrowers – with several awards and top ratings..

wines:
Sometimes capricious, even known to act like divas, but always fresh, honest and straightforward. These are our wines:

Tradition:
– Müller Thurgau „Dola“
– Pinot Bianco „Langefeld“
– Sauvignon Blanc „Saxum“
– Chardonnay „Arvum“
– Gewürztraminer „Stoass“
– Pinot Nero „Fuchsleiten“
– Lagrein „Rivus“

Superior:
– Sauvignon Blanc Riserva „Mathias“
– Gewürztraminer Riserva „Rutter“
– Pinot Nero Riserva „Matan“
– Lagrein Riserva „Griesfeld“
– Cortazo

The wine estate:
In 2011 when the Pfitschers decided to move away from the village centre of Montagna to set up a new winery, their main concern was to ensure that the premises were firmly embedded in their natural surroundings whilst retaining maximum functionality. Despite, or perhaps because of, its straight lines, the building was intended to sink into the background, leaving the stage clear for the real stars: nature, the landscape and… the wine. Simple shapes and a predominantly black colour scheme ensure that these leading actors are never out of sight. Through its enormous window facade, the tasting room offers breath-taking views of the South Tyrolean lowlands and the surrounding mountains. In the cellar, a trail of colours leads the way, ending with dark blue in the Blauburgunder (Pinot noir) cellar. Definitely a must-see!

Opening hours: 

Monday – Friday 8 am – 12 am and 2 pm – 6 pm
Saturday 9 am – 12 am *

* April – October also in the afternoon from 2 pm – 5 pm

Contact: 
wine estate Pfitscher
Dolomitenstraße 17
39040 Montan
+39 0471 168 13 17 

Meseum of South Tyrolean Fruit Cultivation | Lana

How to reach the South Tyrolean Fruit Growing Museum

Lana near Merano is one of the oldest fruit growing villages of South Tyrol.
Map: Südtiroler Obstbaumuseum / Museo altoatesino di frutticoltura See map
The residence Larchgut at Lana is seat of the Fruit Growing Museum which has been inaugurated in 1990. This museum illustrates stages of fruit growing in South Tyrol – and of course especially at Merano and surroundings – by exhibiting items and machines and more than 60 charts. Media and models complete the offer. An exhibition area of some 1,000 sqm makes an illustrative and enjoyable presentation of the subject possible. Workshops on apples, e.g. how to prepare apple strudel, and other events also inform about fruit growing and fruits in general. Also old varieties of apples (more than 40) are presented.

Also methods of crop spraying and its development in the course of time are a central point in the presentation of apple tree cultivation. The “Braunsberger Torggl” is, however, slightly off-topic. This grape press dates back to the 16th century and is the oldest grape press of South Tyrol. The residence Larchgut includes an ancient residential tower and has been mentioned for the first time in 1301. Shortly before, the residence has been built by the Lords of Lana-Brandis. In 1530 a Gothic annex was added to the building.

South Tyrol is the largest fruit growing area at one stretch of Europe – 18,000 hectares and 50 million apple trees, resulting in 10 per cent of the European production in South Tyrol alone. One per cent of these apples come from Lana!

Program for children:

  • Children’s kingdom in the fruit tree museum:
    Those who find the “big” museum too complicated or just need a break will find a relaxed and child-friendly environment here to get to know the world of apples.
  • The children’s quiz:
    Tricky questions accompany the children through the museum. If the answers are correct, a reward awaits!
  • Guided tours for children:
    In July and August every Monday at 10.30 am and every Wednesday at 14.30 pm:
    Guided tour for children (5 – 10 years) through the permanent exhibition.
  • Creative workshop:
    From 1 July to 29 August, we have come up with a special program for your children. While your parents are enjoying the exhibition, doing handicrafts, playing games, we read exciting and funny things about apples.  So you can create your own apple paper, make cards, fold funny paper animals, make key chains, listen to our storyteller and try out exciting table games.
Please check this website for detailed information on opening hours and prices.

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Contact:
South Tyrolean Fruit Growing Museum
Brandisweg 4
39011 Lana
+39 0473 564387

La torre delle polveri | Merano

How to reach the Torre delle polveri 
The best view of Merano! An old keep in which a modern staircase was installed to use it as a viewing platform. A location directly above the parish church on a majestic rock. A view over the whole Burggrafenamt, from the valleys to the highest peaks of Merano.
The Torre delle plover (“Powder Tower”) is rightly considered one of Merano’s most popular sights! The Powder Tower Merano owes its name to the fact that the Meran city fathers, worried about the large amount of gunpowder stored in Meran during the 30-year war, had it stored in the keep of Ortenstein Castle. The castle was demolished, but fortunately the powder tower was not!
Today the tower is accessed by a staircase in its inner courtyard and its viewing platform at a height of 20 metres offers a fabulous view of the centre of Merano and the entire Burgraviate. If you look from the tower towards Passeirer Tor, you will immediately see the well-preserved remains of the old Merano city wall.

Messner Mountain Museum Juval | Kastelbell

How to reach the Messner Mountain Museum Juval

The museum in Juval Castle in Vinschgau is dedicated to the Magic of the Mountain and houses several fine art collections: a Tibetica collection, a gallery of paintings of the world’s holy mountains, a collection of masks from five continents, a unique Gesar of Ling exhibition, a Tantra Room and the Expedition Cellar. Trained guides are available to explain all the exhibits. There is also a small mountain zoo, home-grown produce at the Schlosswirt tavern, excellent wines in Unterortl, and, at the foot of the hill, a farmhouse shop. Juval Castle always makes a big impression in so many ways.

Modern mountaineering is 250 years old. What came before that has not been recorded. But the mountains are millions of years old. They are an aid to orientation for mankind and always have been. They are an expression of everything that lies beyond and requires no justification. For me, the holy mountains came last. The Dolomites, West Alps, Andes, and the Himalayas are stationed along the path of understanding – and the realization that beyond all sheer faces and other challenges there is a dimension that defies quantification! Today the holy mountains are of special interest to me as a researcher and alpinist. I have a particular focus on Milarepa, to whom a separate room is devoted. Having spent almost four decades as a pioneer in rock climbing and high-altitude mountaineering, I am fascinated by those peaks that have special meaning for the local inhabitants, like Mount Kailash in Tibet, Fujiyama in Japan, and Uluru or Ayers Rock in Australia. I have chosen Juval Museum to house the Myth of the Mountain. The castle, perched like an eyrie on a rocky promontory and decorated with frescoes by B. Till Riemenschneider, is well worth a visit itself, and the courtyards and a dozen rooms are open to the public.

Please check this website for detailed information on opening hours and prices.

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Contact:
Messner Mountain Museum Juval
Juval 3
39025 Naturno
+39 0471 631264

Upper Vinschgau Valley Museum | Graun

How to reach the Upper Vinschgau Valley Museum

The Museum of the Upper Vinschgau tells the story of the disappearance and reconstruction of the villages of Graun/ Curon and Reschen/ Resia. The collection includes sacral objects and figures from the old village church.

Opening hours:
July – September:
Wednesday at 5 pm with registration

Prices:
voluntary donation

Contact:
Museum Vinschger Oberland
Altes Gemeindehaus
39027 Graun
+39 0473 633101

Herbstenburg Castle | Dobbiaco

How to reach Herbstenburg Castle

Near the parish church of Dobbiaco, at about 1,200 m asl., the impressive Herbstenburg Castle is located. Around 1500, the brothers Kaspar and Christoph Herbst acquired the castle and it was named after them. In the 16th century it was completely remodelled. After the Herbst Family extincted, the castle frequently changed hands, today it is in possession of the Earls Bossi-Fedrigotti.

Herbstenburg Castle was the centre of a complex which reached until the red tower in the north-west of the village. An underground tunnel connected the tower with the castle. The vault of the castle housed a prison. In 1508 and 1511, Herbstenberg Castle was the quarter of Emperor Maximilian I von Habsburg.

Inside the Herbstenburg Castle, gorgeous vaults, frescoes and beamed ceilings can be found as well as wonderful bays, crenellations and grilles. The inside of the castle is not open to the public, but it is really worth visiting also from the outside.

Museum Mansio Sebatum | San Lorenzo

How to reach the Museum Mansio Sebatum

The Museum Mansio Sebatum illustrates the Roman settlement at St. Lorenzen (San Lorenzo), giving an insight into everyday life at a Roman road station in the Alps, with its baths, market place, trade and traffic, as well as the burial cult and Roman deities.

Opening hours:
Monday to Friday: 9 am – 12 am and 3 pm – 6 pm
Saturday: 9 am – 12 am

Prices:

Adults 5,00 €
Reduced (students, civil servants, senior citizens aged 65 and over) 3,00 €
Family ticket (2 adults and children up to 11 years) 10,00 €
School classes (per student) of any age incl. guided tour 2,50 €
Groups of 8 or more people 3,50 €

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Contact:
Museum Mansio Sebatum
J. Renzler Straße 9
39030 Sankt Lorenzen
+39 0474-538196

Castle Fahlburg | Prissiano

How to reach castle Fahlburg 

The castle’s high-quality facilities, for example the ceiling paintings by the significant Baroque painter Stefan Kessler, and the original Conditions the castle, give the rank of an outstanding artistic historical monument to it.

Also the fact, that the castle is in the family von Brandis’s hands since 400 years, is quite rare.
Out of that is important to notice that the Fahlburg is very special, because of it’s connection to the Cultural History of our Country.

Still today the Fahlburg is still a place where literary and cultural events are held, as the “Petrarca-Preis”-award, testified by Hubert Burda and Peter Handke.
Also the Czech poet and President Vaclav Havel used to stay for a while in this beatiful renaissance-monument.

Contact: 
Fahlburg
39010 Prissiano
+39 0473 92 09 30

Nativity Scene Museum Muri-Gries | Bozen

How to reach the Krippensammlung Kloster Muri Gries

Since 1991, the Museum is located in the Romanesque tower of the Gries Castle, now the Benedictine monastery of Muri-Gries.

The Nativity Scenes Exhibition spans three centuries: there are Baroque cribs dating back to 1750 as well as works by well-known South Tyrolean artists of the 20th century.

Please check this website for detailed information on opening hours and prices.

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Contact:
Nativity Scene Museum Muri-Gries
Kloster Muri Gries, Grieser Platz 21
39100, Bozen
+39 0471 281116