Culture et curiosités sur la route du vin du Sud-Tyrol

Complex of residential and farm buildings on the Wasserfallstrasse and the St. Kolumbangasse, arranged at an acute angle and grouped around a courtyard. Its core is located at the intersection of the two roads; it was expanded in the early 17th century, during the Renaissance, as indicated by the stone-framed courtyard gate with the monogram “Hans Pock” and the date 1626: the year 1620 could once be read on a double-arched window.

Patronal feast: 6th of December

The core building dates back to the 13th century (late Romanesque brickwork on the tower floor and on the west wall). Around 1520, a new building was built by construction workers from Como. Vault paintings have been made by Bartlmä Dill Riemenschneider, son of Tilman Riemenschneider. Since 1733 pilgrimage place.

Source: Parrish office Kaltern

The Parish church of St. Vigilius with its Romanesque church tower was mentioned for the first time in 1337. The old baptismal font inside dates from an earlier time, from 1033. At the beginning of the 16th century, the church was remodeled and a sandstone arch was added. In 1850, the late Gothic high altar was built where the baroque altarpiece showing the martyrium of Str. Vigilius was built in. A further gem inside the Cortaccia church is the legendary crying picture of the Virgin Mary which was first exhibited on July 17, 1738 and has since been the goal of many pilgrims.

The world of grappa, spirits and liqueurs is a long tradition of the distillery Villa Laviosa.

A guided tasting is possible on request, only with advance registration and a minimum of 4 participants. Otherwise you can go shopping in the shop or try a few products.

The Gothic church of St. Peter, built in the 16th century, is located at the southern entrance to the village of Auer/Ora, next to the local cemetery. In past times, it was the most important church of the surrounding villages and is situated in a pit about 5 meters deep and was often inaccessible due to flooding of the nearby Rio Nero stream. It had to be uncovered again and again and was finally protected by a stone wall. Today, after restoration work in the 1970s, the church is open to the public for Holy Masses and celebrations and houses the oldest organ in South Tyrol that can still be played. It was built in 1599 by the organ builder Hans Schwarzenbach.

Castelfeder (from castello, the Italian word for castle) is nestled between the holiday villages on this strategically important porphyry hill. Castelfeder is a prehistoric and Roman as well as early medieval settlement characterized by the remnants of several structures and buildings on a large hilltop. It is a true place of energy and a popular destination for excursions, especially in spring. Today, sections of the encircling defensive wall with the well-known "Kuchelen" castle walls, and parts of the Barbara chapel from the 6th century can still be seen. In addition, the sunny Castelfeder hill fascinates with its unique and diverse flora. A special feature is the smoothly polished fertility chute carved in porphyry. It was a central component of an ancient cult. Rumor has it that even today sliding down it results in the arrival of a much yearned-for baby.

Belonging to the Danielhof estate, the scenically located church once belonged to the Benedictine Sonnenburg Abbey in the Puster Valley. The present structure has lancet-arch windows on the south wall and choir screens that probably date from the 14th century. In the early 15th century came fan and ribbed vaulting above wall pilasters, subsequently decorated with mural paintings. The north wall features scenes from the story of St. Daniel (including Daniel in the lion’s den), donated in 1444 by a Bozen customs official. On the north wall of the nave appear Saint Catherine and consecration crosses with the hand of blessing.

The late-Gothic winged altar from 1525 is an art-historical gem. The predella relief shows the Lamentation of Christ with, to the sides, Catharine and Barbara, Margaret and Dorothy. The central shrine shows the Madonna with Child and the Saints Daniel and Chrysanthus, with Peter and Paul in bas-relief on the inner wings. When closed, the wings show the guardians of the shrine, George and Florian, as well as scenes from the life of the church’s patron saint. Restoration work was carried out in 1991 and 2012-13.

A Natural Monument!
The 82 m high waterfall is fed by the Möltner Brook. The path leads past the old Vilpiano's Wasserwaal from the 17th century. The water was once used to irrigate the fields.

Accessible by foot in ten minutes from the village center of Vilpiano.

With a height of 86 metres, this church's bell tower is the tallest steeple built of stone in South Tyrol. In the early 20th century the medieval nave made place for the present design by the architect Franz Mayr, though the Gothic chancel har remained with its frescoes. The martyrdom of the curch's patron saints Julitta and Quiricus is depicted in a fresco cycle on the southern wall.

The middle part of the "3-Dörfer-Wegs" (three village trail), or 3D-Weg, leads from Entiklar to Margreid. Between lovely rock walls harboring wall ferns and lizards, we wander leisurely upwards to the "Margreider Leiten", steep vineyards with panoramic views of the Etsch valley. The last part follows a somehwat steep paved road into the beautiful little wine village of Margreid.

The Saalhaus is a type of building which is about 45 to 60 meters deep with a façade width of 5-11 meters. Through the entry door in the façade, you pass through a long, vaulted archway into the inner courtyard onto which rooms, used as storerooms, open. In the heart of the house, facing the courtyard, is the "Saal" or hall, a room of large dimensions, reaching from the ground floor up to the roof. Thanks to its opening onto the courtyard and its dormer windows, the room is well lit and remains cool during the summer months. These characteristics make it suitable for many domestic activities, for example, the preparation of agricultural products or drying of laundry. All the second-floor rooms and the balconies for accessing the upper floors face this room; all of this contributes to making the "Saal" the heart of family life. It is possible to look at the internal structure of a Saalhaus while passing through the pedestrian passageway that leads through the inner courtyard of Via Andreas Hofer 32.

Mysterious eras of the past Food, drinks and an attraction A brief journey back in time to the High Middle Ages. Only the freshly prepared dishes create a rather delicious bridge to the future. Boymont Castle was built as the seat of a noble family in the year 1230. After a fire in 1742, the ruins came into the possession of several owners, until it was finally bought by Fritz Dellago in 1977. The two knights' halls, as well as the stone-framed arched windows, pillars and capitals are worth a visit in their own right. Special dishes: Daily ribs and roast in medieval style made in the smoker. Opening hours Ruin Boymont is open daily from 11.00 till 17.00. Day off on Mondays, except from Mid-September till October.

The Capuchin monastery and its small church were built between 1617 and 1620. The church has a simple design in accordance with the style and regulations of the Capuchin Order: simple in terms of furnishings, bare walls, barrel vaults, and a side chapel on the south side. The high altar is dedicated to the Sacred Heart. The pulpit and the side altars are neo-Romanesque and date back to the 19th century. The altar of the side chapel contains a statue of the mother of God with Child from the middle of the 16th century, which is said to have miraculous powers. Between 1999 and 2003, the whole complex was carefully restored. In the little church, this also led to the renewal of the windows and the benches, which – in harmony with the surroundings – are now simple and linear. Thus, the light penetrates through seven beautiful glass panes that seem to communicate with the faithful through their symbolic meaning of colors and number.

Patronal feast: August 16th

The church was built around 1516 as a votive chapel as to thank for having  escaped the plague.

Source: Parrish office Kaltern

In Eppan | Piganò, above Castel Gandegg, you find near Castel Englar the residence Moos Schulthaus. A little bit hidden, how it is usual for an insider tip, you can find a nice little museum for Middle Aged living.

Around the middle of the 13th century the dynasty of the Rottenburger built a Romanesque residential tower above the location Pigenò. Around the 14th century it was transformed and extended into a gothic residence for hunting. After the extinction of the Rottenburg in 1410, the complex ended up in the hands of the princes and later on to the Lords of Firmian and around 1500 to the Earl Spaur who expanded it even more. Until the middle of the 19th century it remained in the hands of the aristocrats of Schulthaus. With this intense change of property and the related architectural procedures caused a special fusion of connected elements, interlaced and on different levels situated premises and last but not least style characteristics of different époques. In 1958 Walther Amonn, merchant of Bozen and patron, bought the complex and had it costly restored and opened it for the public in 1985.

Well worth seeing are especially the frescos of the premises, which are a unique example of gothic mural art and give an insight in the life and philosophy of that time.

For the exploration of this historical valuable area around Castel Moss-Schulthaus, with the castles Englar and Gandegg together with the residences of Pigenò, we suggest the marked hiking and biking trails.

In 1336 we find the first evidence of an independent Montan parish priest. Whether he already lived in this house, however, is not attested. Only in 1537/38 - Christian Seidl from Reichental in the diocese of Salzburg was parish priest at that time - is a Widum mentioned, which is described as very small, old and dilapidated.

The parish priest Alexander Giovanelli, who worked here from 1702 to 1743, rebuilt the vicarage at great expense and settled the matter with the parish and the church provost in 1734.

The frescoes, St. Nepomuk (water and bridge saint and at the same time the only saint with a star wreath) and the "Mater Dolorosa", whose worship was promoted by parish priest Alexander Giovanelli, were probably also painted at this time. In the Widum there is a panelled farmhouse parlour with an old fireplace, as well as an archive with 233 volumes and baptismal, marriage and death registers from the 16th century. These have been preserved despite looting and arson by the French.

In the cadastre of 1775, the Widumhof has a stable and barn, "torggl" (wine press), herb garden and small meadows with fruit trees, arable land and vineyards.

The military cemetery in Auer/Ora was originally established in 1916 as a burial ground for the chiefly Russian and Serbian war prisoners who had died while working on the old Val di Fiemme railroad. Additionally, a military hospital was established in Auer during WWI. A burial ground was set up at the site of today's military cemetery for fallen soldiers and for the workers who died during the construction of the railroad.

During WWII, the burial ground was likewise used as a cemetery for the war dead. The bodies of Austro-Hungarian soldiers who had fallen on the Dolomite Front were exhumed and transferred to their respective national cemeteries. Until 2003, the association for victims of war and combatants of South Tyrol took care of the military cemetery. From 2003 on, the "Schützenkompanie" Auer took over the cemetery's administration.

The Parish church of Cortina sulla Strada del Vino is dedicated to Saint Martinn. The Gothic construction dates from the beginning of the 15th century and was erected on the ruins of on older chapel. The keystone of the arch is decorated with a picture of St. Martin and the date 1474. A second keystone shows the Virgin Mary and is attributed to the end of the 16th century. Over the years, various changes have been made to the building. In 1610, the church tower was renovated, in 1996 the mosaic of St. Martin over the entryway was completed and the furnishings including the organ and the choir stalls were renovated. In spite of the many changes, many of the old treasures have survived and can still be seen in the parish church. For example, a statue of the Madonna from the 15th century and two altarpieces from the 17th century can be seen. A special gem is the old bell from the year 1449. It is one of the oldest bells in Alto Adige and was still used up until a few years ago to ring in the mass.

Seeschlössl: this romantic house is situated on the west bank of the large Montiggl Lake. History: Josef von Zastrow, who came from Germany and also owned Aichberg, in 1888, built it. At this time he also owned both the lakes. In 1902 the village of Eppan took over both lakes. Architectural style: the whole building is very pleasing and blends in well with the scenery. The style is middle Aged, the windows have pointed arches and the gables have a staircase form finish. The painter Max Sparer from Tramin often painted this house. Walking: as soon as you get to know the two Montiggler Lakes, it is no problem to find this beautiful house. Walks through the Spring Valley and round the large lake take you past this house

The parish church of Pochi is dedicated to Sant'Orsola. The church was built in romanesque style in the 14th century, the church spire dates from this period. The gothic chancel was built in the 15th century.

The parish church of Neumarkt/Egna is dedicated to St. Nicholas. The Romanesque porch dates back to the 12th century and was renovated in the 15th century. The tower was built in the 13th century. The choir, built by the master stonemason Konrad von Neumarkt, is an excellent example of late Gothic architecture.

Patronal feast: March 19th

The church of S. Giuseppe was realized around 1700. The constructional form of the low-drawn-in chancel with a straight ending frequently occurs from the middle of the 17th century onwards, and the ground plan has probably been designed by builder the master-builder Delai. Also worth to mention is the high altar, a marble structure with stone and wood sculptures.

The church is only accessible during holy masses.

Source: Parrish office Kaltern