Historie a kultura Bolzana

In the Avisio River they experience an unforgettable adventure in the midst of nature with the rafting team!

The GEOPARC Bletterbach invites visitors to embark on a geological
journey back in time. Its guided tours, themed paths and
family walks give fascinating insights into this gorge in the heart of
the Dolomites UNESCO World Heritage Site. Embark on a journey
through 40 million years of history and learn all about the different
types of rock which make up this fascinating site of outstanding
natural beauty.

This about 3 km long round trail is a child-friendly, creative and near-naturally designed contemplation trail!

The visitors, especially children, receive in this wonderfull calming landscape the opportunity, to experience the nature and his creator understanding the God's message to us with all senses…

The famous St. Martin is the patron of Glaning. The design of the round trail is based on his life and model.

With the helpful elements like footprints, stone bench, labyrinth, „Our-Father“ rock or splendid viewpoints, can both children and adults comprehend the life of the Saint Martin learning also more about themselves…

Located at the southern-western outskirts of Bolzano/Bozen, this castle is considered one of the emblems of South Tyrol. The original name "Formigar" stems from the Latin word "formicaria". From the 10th century a.d. the castle belonged to the Prince-Bishop of Trento, while during the second half of the 15th century Duke Sigismond , Count of Tirol, bought it and transformed it into the biggest and most prestigious of his castles naming it Sigmundskron (Sigismonds' crown). At the present date it has become the Mountain Museum of Reinhold Messner MMM Firmian.

At the free fossil show below the  Tourist Office Meltina, which can be admired all year round, you can admire 260 million year old fossil tree remains. They originate from the Möltner Joch, where a large number of plant fossils from the more recent Permian period were found. The Fossil Museum offers an insight into the geology of the Tschögglberg on eleven display boards. In another eleven showcases various minerals, fossils and geological handpieces are shown. An exciting story of long extinct plants and animals, of deserts and seas, of catastrophic volcanic eruptions and earthquakes, of digging glaciers, plunging streams and leisurely flowing rivers.

A paradise for excursions - do not miss walking on the Salto/Salten with its calming larch trees and the panoramic view on the Dolomites! 

The parish church of Laives/Leifers – Where past and future meet

The parish church of Leifers is made of two parts, a historical one and a modern one. The historic part was first mentioned in 1286 and contains the miraculous image of Maria Weissenstein. Thanks to the former curate of Laives/Leifers, Johann von Kolb it is still possible to admire the statue. During the 70s there was already the intention of expanding the church. The Italian speaking community first wanted an own parsonage, but the bishop of that time was keen on reinforcing the connection between the two communities (Italian and German speaking), not separating them. Therefore, the decision to extend the already existing church has been made. The construction began in 2000 and ended 4 years later. The modern part has been christened in 2004. The form of the building is a symbol for acceptance, home, friendship and understanding and shows the way to an eternal home. As a sign for Christianity and resurrection, a triumphal cross has been put up over the altar. The different light inside the church symbolise Christ, who is the world’s light.

This section of the "Keschtnweg" leads from the Bilderburg Runkelstein in the provincial capital of Bolzano through the sun-drenched vineyards, past the beautiful wine farms, along the slopes of the Guntschnaberge to the mighty chestnut trees in Glaning and on over the low mountain range above the Etsch Valley to Terlan and Vilpian.

Distance: 27.5 km
Metres in altitude ascent: 1,446 m
Metres in altitude descent: 1,511 m
Average walking time: 9.40 hours

Route:
The hike begins at the car park or bus stop below Runkelstein Castle. From there you walk over a bridge and turn left, past allotment gardens, until you reach the valley station of the Jenesien cable car (currently closed). Continue on hiking trail no. 2, which leads very steeply over the access road to the Rafenstein castle ruins, past the Sandner Hof farm and after about 80 m you turn into hiking trail no. 1 B. The trail leads into the farmyards of Jenesien (currently closed). The trail leads to the farm access road above the church of St. Jakob im Sand.
Hiking trail 1A leads moderately steeply above St. Georgen. Now follow the narrow farm access road to the right and after about 100 m the hiking trail (5A) branches off to the left in the direction of Fagenbach and you reach the Winterle farm. Now follow trail no. 5, cross the country road and climb up a steeper section to Glaninger Straße. Then continue to the junction with trail no. 9. In a few minutes you reach the little church of St. Martin in Glaning.
From Glaning, you now hike in a westerly direction, branch off to the right (no. 11), cross the Mauritiusbach stream and from there descend again onto the asphalted road. Above the Noafer inn, follow trail no. 9 to the Schmalzhof farm and then follow the trail in a left-hand direction. After another short climb, you reach the main road again and follow it uphill for a short distance until you reach the "Moar in Rumsein" farm. Then follow trail no. 9 and after about 200 m of descent, always following the asphalt farm access road, turn right and descend over a few hairpin bends to a bridge. You then reach the Lanzoner Hof farm. Follow the road to the left for about 500 m until you reach the Wegscheider farm. The path now leads first to the right to a fenced water reservoir, then briefly uphill to a path on the left (signposted Terlan). Follow the signpost no. 8 B in the direction of Verschneid. Then turn left onto trail no. 4 A in a westerly direction until you reach the road to Mölten.

Note: If you do not want to descend to Terlan, you can choose trail no. 4 A here in a westerly direction to "Ober-Tschirggl", which then continues to Vilpian.

Now you begin the descent to Terlan. Follow the Mölten road to the left and then trail no. 4 to the right. Past the Liebeneich estate of the Counts of Enzenberg, the trail continues to the left to the Köstenholz estate and you reach the centre of Terlan.
The last section of the "Keschtnweg" now leads from the centre of Terlan to Vilpian. From the Terlan parish church, follow Kirchgasse on the right and turn left into Silberleitenweg (no. 4A). You quickly overcome the difference in altitude and then look out for trail marker no. 1 A, which continues to the left in a westerly direction. You now walk along the road from Vorberg until you reach Scholer Hof. From Scholer Hof, follow trail no. 1 A for a short distance and turn left onto trail no. 1. This leads to a fork in the road, where you can take the steep descent to the left down to the provincial fire brigade school (only for experienced hikers) or take the easy trail no. 1 down to the cable car valley station in Vilpian. Both paths take you to the centre of Vilpian.

We´ve a small bathing sea, the Göllersea, laying in the middle of a wood like in a fairytale. Nearby you find a few panorama points, such as Rotwand and Burgstallegg, which give you a free view over the flat "Unterland” and over the rest of South Tirol. Starting from the fire department Aldein You reach the sea on way nr. 17b after a short hike of 30 min. A good combination of bathing and walking.

The Santo Sepolcro Church also known as the Church of Calvary, can be reached in about 20 minutes following the forest path that starts from via Santa Geltrude or from the road that goes up from via Piè di Virgolo. A handful of minutes, following the via crucis, and here we are, immersed in the forest. From here you can enjoy a wonderful panoramic view over Bolzano and the Sciliar plateau.

The church, built between 1683 and 1684, has been for centuries a place of pilgrimage. On the right, looking at the entrance of the church, there is a chapel that contains the fountain with Christ. In past times couples used to do small fertility rites to become a child. The elders of Virgolo still remember a popular belief who said that children came into the world under the fountain of the chapel and weren't brought by the stork.

The church has been restored in recent times, but the countless love-graffiti are safe. Pilgrims and lovers engraved the walls of the sepulchre with love messages from the 18th century up to our days and it is a real emotion to read those messages that overlap over the centuries and tell the story of hundreds of people through a heart, a flower, a name, a date or a promise of love.

The chapel of St. Peter is the symbol of the Municipality of Laives/Leifers, and is also depicted in the town’s coat of arms. It is located on a hill above Laives and dates back to the 12th century. The chapel was originally intended to be the chapel for Castle Lichtenstein. Next to the church there are only a few ruins left of the ancient castle, which was also part of a fortress below, which was built in 1160 and destroyed in 1290. Today the chapel can only be visited from the outside. Inside only the altar remains with its altar stone.

Book your accommodation on the Ritten and the RittenCard is on us! Use the card to travel for free and receive many discounts on the sunny plateau of Ritten and in all South Tyrol
travel for free on the regional public transport network of South Tirol, included the Ritten train and Ritten cable car.
A daily return ride with the mountain cable car to the Rittner Horn one free admission for each
and numerous discounts and special offers for leisure activities free admissionto ice hockey games in the Ritten Arena.

The Antonio Dalle Nogare Foundation was established to promote contemporary art as a language for interpreting changes in society, as a tool for promoting interaction between art, architecture, innovation and artistic research and as a means for encouraging a wide range of the general public to take part.

It is possible to visit the foundation only upon appointment.

The Foundation is open Saturday from 10 am to 6 pm (guided tour at 11 am)

Visits can be reserved at:
visit@fondazioneantoniodallenogare.com

Admission is limited to a maximum of 20 people per visit.
Duration of the visit: approximately 1 hour.

Free admission

The oldest glacier mummy in the world, Ötzi the Iceman, has found his last resting place at the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology. Dating from the Copper Age (5,300 years old), he can been seen with his original clothing and equipment. Each year there are different special exhibitions on archaeological topics from South Tyrol to supplement the permanent display.

 

More about Ötzi and the museum

The Plattner farm house in Costalovara is more than 600 years old. The Gramm Family, a mercantile family from Bolzano, has carried out an exemplary restoration of it liaising closely with the provincial historic preservation agency and so, also because of its unique location, it is one of the most picturesque farmsteads in the region. Today it accommodates a bee-keeping museum that illustrates in a lively and vivid way the sweet art of making honey. The magnificent Plattnerhof is the largest private collection of South Tyrol’s beekeeping and it is also a monument of rural architecture and savoir vivre. A nature trail on the picturesque hill near to the house explains the world of bees to visitors.

The Plattner Bienenhof offers various products around bees and honey.

In the museum you will find a large exhibition of historical working equipment and instruments used by our farmers. Furthermore it represents the traditional life and function of the Southtyrolean farmers. 

Exhibition theme: antique equipments, instruments used by farmers in South Tyrol 

Place: San Genesio

Free entry with donation

Info: tourist office San Genesio, Tel. +39 0471 354196 or directly by Mr. Erich Egger Tel. +39 331 624 1968

 

The saga of Weissenstein depicts the life of the religious farmer Leonhard. He was very ill and fell into a ravine. The Mother of God appeared to him and promised to safe him, if he built a chapel in her honor. The Mother of God told him: "So that you don't doubt my promise, i will leave you in this cave for nine more days and nights, without meat and drink. On the ninth day your family will find you. But don't forget my words!".

It happened how the Mother of God predicted, but Leonhard forgot to built the chapel and became ill again. From that moment on a light was shining where Leonhard fell in the cave and nobody had an explanation why. Leonhard eventually remembered his promise to the Mother of God. He quickly began to build the chapel and was then cured from his illness. When digging he found a little statue which represented the Mother of God. Leonhard continued to finish bulding and placed the statue in the chapel.

Soon after Maria Weissenstein became a popular place of pilgrimage. In 1787 the statue of the Mother of God was relocated to the church of Laives/Leifers.

The children´s playground is open the whole year and you can find it after our swimming pool and opposite the Hotel Belvedere.

Due to population growth, the little church of San Giacomo/St. Jakob had become far too small. So it became necessary to think about a new church in the centre of the village. The foundation stone was laid in 1951 and the church was completed in 1954. In 1964, ten years after its completion and opening, the church was consecrated by Bishop Josef Gargitter.

The Mary's Ascension into Heaven Parish Church is located in Sarnthein / Sarentino Village. The church was first mentioned in documents dating back to 1309. The church tower is the oldest part, having been built in the 14th century. Other parts of the church were added or expanded over the years.