Gampen Bunker | Gampenpass

How to reach the Gampen Bunker

At only 1,520 m, the Gampenpass mountain pass (Passo Palade in Italian) is one of the lowest mountain passes in the Alps and was the main north-south route once used by wayfarers and pilgrims, before the roads were built. The Alta Val di Non/Deutschnonsberg area always represented the boundary between cultures and served as a frontier: a place of both meeting and separation.

Built between 1935 and 1939, the road across the Gamepnpass mountain pass connecting the villages of Lana in South Tyrol and Fondo in Trentino represented an engineering feat at the time.

One of the most important WWII-era bunker systems in South Tyrol was built on the Gampenpass on the border between South Tyrol and Trentino. Today the bunker in the Gampen Gallery hosts exhibitions including a permanent collection of minerals and a photo exhibition.


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

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Contact:
Gampen Bunker
Gampen Pass
3910 Senale
+39 0463 886321

Deutschnonsberg

How to reach Senale at the Deutschnonsberg

Attractions:
– Häusl am Stoan | Deutschnonsberg
– Gampen Bunker | Gampenpass
– Felixer Weiher Lake | San Felice

Alta Val di Non/Deutschnonsberg is an area of exceptional beauty, with numerous hiking trails in a pristine natural landscape of spectacular canyons, rivers and wildlife. Here, South Tyrol meets the neighboring region of Trentino, and over the centuries the area has become a melting pot of the two cultures. In many ways, Alta Val di Non offers the best of both regions, as can be seen in the distinct culinary tradition, which combines organic produce like grana cheese with specialties based on local ingredients such as radicchio or dandelion.


Nature and Culture:

The Deutschnonsberg region is located directly at the linguistic and cultural border between South Tyrol and Trentino. This high Alpine valley impresses visitors with its incomparable nature, but also through unique sights which are accessible via simple hiking trails. The turbulent history of this mountain valley and the many Alpine crossings in the region are evident in the many architectural gems dating to the Middle Ages, including the pilgrimage routes to the pilgrimage church in Senale/Unsere Liebe Frau im Walde and the Hermitage of San Romedio. At the end of November, a festive pre-Christmas mood spreads over the Deutschnonsberg and Merano and Environs, as this is when the Advent markets open their gates.

Essen und Trinken:
The culinary tradition of the sparsely populated Deutschnonsberg is diverse and yet independent. For centuries, German and Italian mountain farmers shared the meadows and fields and provided travelers and pilgrims with food. Over time, an independent culinary tradition and a long history of gastronomy developed along the shared border at Deutschnonsberg.
The staple of this mountain region was and remains the potato. In addition, game, herbs, dandelion and radicchio all play a major role in the local cuisine. Today, the Deutschnonsberg is home to several down-to-earth and refined inns offering Alpine-Mediterranean dishes according to the Nonsberg tradition. The Real Quality in the Mountains seal marks authentic Alpine hut owners along the trails. There are also a number of culinary events held in the area, including the Dandelion Weeks in spring and the Radicchio Days in autumn.

Häusl am Stoan | Deutschnonsberg

How to reach the Häusl am Stoan

Imagine waking up one morning, looking out at the window and realizing with horror that there is nothing left around your house – everything washed away by the flood. A truly unpleasant feeling that the owners of the “Häusl am Stein” also experienced in 1882.

A long time ago, lush, beautiful meadows and several farmhouses stood here in the valley floor below Bad Lad in St. Pankraz an der Falschauer. But when in one autumn night of 1882 a great storm came down, the floods of the mountain stream swept everything away, except for the so-called “Häusl am Stein”, on the right bank of the Falschauer. By chance, this had been built on a huge boulder and was thus spared the enormous flood. However, the rock on which the cottage stands only became visible after the flood. Not even the owners of the little house knew about it.
Even today the “Häusl am Stein”, one of the most curious buildings of the holiday region Ultental-Deutschnonsberg and all of South Tyrol, stands on the rock and defies any weather. A little hidden between trees and meadows, it can be reached from St. Pankraz via a leisurely walk and can be admired. The Falschauer is still today a wild mountain stream, but a well-built one, from which no dangers go out anymore and on whose shore it is pleasant to picnic.
The “Häusl am Stein” is a very popular photo motif. It is privately owned and still inhabited today.

Opening Times:
Open all year round

Castel Katzenzungen | Prissiano

How to reach Castel Katzenzungen

Castel Katzenzungen was first mentioned in 1244 when it was owned by Henricus de Cazenzunge. Between the 16th and the 18th Century, the castle had its golden age when it was owned by the Lords von Breisach, who originally came from Alsace. Then, it was one of the most elegant aristocratic residences in the country. With the extinction of this dynasty, the Renaissance sastle was transformed into farming area and was only renovated after the Pobitzer family from Meran bought the grounds in 1978. For some years, Castel Katzenzungen with its magnificent rooms, panelled Renaissance lounges, the black smoking kitchen and the arched ceiling cellars has been used once again for its original purpose, which is that of a „summer residence“. The programme features in particular cultural and gastronomic events.

Contact:
Castel Katzenzungen
Prissiano 11
39010 Tesimo/Prissiano
+39 0473-927018

The earth pyramides | Collepietra

How to reach the earth pyramids

Giants of clay
Perjury and greed, according to legend, are supposed to be the reasons why earth pyramids reach toward the sky in Collepietra instead of lush, green and fertile meadows.

Children of erosion
Heavy storms, the “punishment of God”, are in fact the cause of these unique and extremely rare natural landmarks. Where glaciers deposited moraine clay during the ice age, heavy rainfall formed a clay paste that slowly flowed down into the valley. Harder material, such as larger rocks, protected the underlying clay from the rain: over the millennia pillars of up to 30 metres in height were formed, each complete with its own “hat”.

Cornedo Castle | Carnedo

How to reach Cornedo Castle

At the entrance of the Ega valley, east of Bolzano, the castle looks out onto the Bolzano basin. The Cornedo  castle was probably built in the 13th century by the Greifensteiner aristocrats.

Stairways ascend the castle façade while Romanesque frescoes adorn the chapel. The castle, majestic and exalted with its gate towers, watches over the gorge of the Val d’Ega. This, the emblem of the municipality was built by the Lords of Greifenstein around the year 1200 and today represents one of South Tyrol’s finest castles.

Kurtinig on the Wine Road

How to reach Kurtinig on the Wine Road

Attractions:
– Haderburg | Salorno
– Castelfeder | Montagna

Kurtinig is situated in the middle of the Etsch Valley. At a bit less than 2 km² in area, it is the second-smallest village in South Tyrol; the only village without forest, without mountains, without hamlets and, in addition, the village with the lowest difference in altitude (209 – 212 metres).
It is also the only village of the Etsch Valley where the historic center was built in the middle of the valley, although the region was formerly quite swampy. Findings from the Stone Age and Roman times prove that the sides of the river Adige were a profitable hunting and fishing region. Before work was carried out along the river in 1893, the village was surrounded by the arms of the river Adige, which often lead to flooding. This resulted in the village being given the name ‘Little Venice’.
The large cobblestone village square with its lovingly renovated well invites you to rest for a while. In 1996, a piece of property owned by the village was transformed into a biotope where the original flora and fauna of this region could find a place to survive.
This initiative was organised by seven farmers who also created similar natural habitats in their own orchards and fields. For this reason, they received the Prize for the Conservation of the Countryside by the province of South Tyrol in 2003.
Kurtinig is also known to be the village of house grapevines, given the vines grow on many facades. It is tradition to plant a grapevine beside a house, particularly when the first child is born, when the farmhouse is transferred to a son, or when the farmhouse is newly built or reconstructed.

Art & Culture
The landscape and geographic location have formed the life of the people here for many years. At every turn, you meet local culture and tradition. Numerous archaeological findings in this region bear witness to an interesting past: the Freienfeld menhir, the mysterious stone in Graun, the legendary castle hill in Entiklar, the Roman torso of the god Mercury…
In Fennhals, the best-kept copper smelting facility in South Tyrol was found, consisting of five contiguous copper smelting pots from the Bronze Age (from around 1400 B.C.). The recovery of the blocks – unique in Europe – took place in two parts. Three ovens are now in the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology and the other two are presented in the centre of Kurtatsch.


Wine & Gastronomy
Everything along the Alto Adige Wine Road revolves around wine. And what’s better than good wine? Good wine paired with good food! Thanks to the fact that you find yourself at the intersection of different cultural influences, the culinary choices in Kurtatsch, Margreid and Kurtinig are characterised by the interesting merging of Italian and Austrian cuisines. Whatever you are craving for, there is surely something you can find here to tickle your taste buds. The only problem is the torture of choosing. Our solution: why not try everything on the menu?

 

Haderburg | Salorno

How to reach the Haderburg

The castle of Salorno stands imposingly on the rocks above the village and is the symbol of the village. Its position makes it one of the most impressive ruins in the Alps. It was built in the Middle Age and during the time it was constantly enlarged. It was in possession of different nobel families and since the 17th century it belongs to the descendants of Earl Zenobio-Albrizzi from Venice. Thank to their help the castle was restored. Since 2003 it can be visited during summer. Nowadays there take place many cultural events during the warm season.

Opening hours:
01 March – 31 October 2019
Wednesday 10:00 – 16:30
Thursday – Sunday 10:30 – 19:00

Free Entry!

Contact:
Haderburg
Via Triento 53/C
39040 Salorno/ Salurn
+39 334-7775843

Sun, moon & stars| Val d’Ega

How to reach the Planetarium

The backdrop couldn’t be more beautiful: the first South Tyrolean star village is located at the gates to the Dolomites in the municipality of Cornedo. Stargazers can visit both an astronomical and a solar observatory as well as the 7-km “planetary trail”. One of the world’s most modern planetariums is also located at the very heart of the star village of San Valentino in Campo.

Observatory “Max Valier” and sun observatory “Peter Anich”:
The observatory Max Valier, to which also the sun observatory Peter Anich belongs, is the only people observatory in South Tyrol and is honorary led by the association of the amateur astronomers Max Valier.

The Planetarium:
The South Tyrol Planetarium is located directly on the pretty Gummer village square. Regardless of time of day and weather, the cosmos simulator faithfully recreates the starry sky and the course of the stars. Its image resolution of about 12 million pixels on a dome with a diameter of 8 m is unsurpassed worldwide.
On 55 comfortable armchairs you get a real spaceship feeling, because thanks to 3D technology you are not only a spectator, but you get the feeling of floating in the middle of the stars.

Guided tours:
Guided tours take place every Thursday evening all year round.
Fridays only for closed groups.
Registration and prices at the observatory from Tuesday to Friday from 8.30 to 12.30 and from 13.30 to 15.30, on Saturday and Sunday from 10 to 17.30.

Note: Clothing appropriate to the weather is recommended, in case of rain and snowfall guided tours are not necessary.


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Contact:
Planetarium Alto Adige
San Valentino in campo 5
39053 Cornedo
+39 0471 610020 

Magrè sulla strada del vino

How to reach Magrè sulla strada del vino

Attractions:
– Lake Favogna

Margreid on the Alto Adige Wine Road is one of the most beautiful wine villages in South Tyrol.

Although it was first mentioned in 1182, coin and settlement findings from the Roman times point to a much earlier settlement date. The historic village has retained most of its authentic buildings; aristocratic mansions stand in a row, German Gothic architecture mixes with southern Renaissance and cheerful Baroque. Stone-framed portals, dome-shaped round arch windows, long staircases, small loggias and many artfully designed window grills give this village its special character.

The village area consists of approximately 14 km², of which 166 hectares are planted in vineyards and 188 hectares in apple orchards. About 30% of the 1281 inhabitants live mainly from orchard and vineyard cultivation. Therefore, Margreid not only hosts three wine cellars but is also the headquarters for the fruit cooperative association Kurmark-Unifrut where the farmers from Margreid, Kurtatsch, Kurtinig and the neighbouring villages deliver their harvest and fresh apples are available for sale. Once a week (except in July), there is the possibility of visiting the cooperative and following the production process first-hand.

Wine & Gastronomy
Everything along the Alto Adige Wine Road revolves around wine. And what’s better than good wine? Good wine paired with good food! Thanks to the fact that you find yourself at the intersection of different cultural influences, the culinary choices in Kurtatsch, Margreid and Kurtinig are characterised by the interesting merging of Italian and Austrian cuisines.