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Pleasure & health
Relaxation & nature
Vitalpina Escapists
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Places of power in South Tyrol: our Top 5
Places that will deeply touch you can be found in South Tyrol in clearings and on mountaintops, among meadow flowers and on rocky outcrops. If you are looking for the tranquillity of nature on a hiking holiday in South Tyrol, all you have to do is open your eyes – and your heart. We show you five places of power that are sure to leave you speechless.
#1 The Klein-Gitsch in the Eisack Valley: where the view seems infinite
GERD OBERHOFER, HOST AT THE HOTEL LÄRCHENHOF: Freedom; remoteness; tranquillity: if anyone asks me if I know a place of power, it’s the “Klein-Gitsch” (“Little Lass”) that spontaneously comes to mind. Don’t let the name fool you, however, as this mountain always makes a BIG impression. It is easily accessible via the lift from the Altfassa Valley or Meransen and it’s my special tip for a hiking holiday in South Tyrol. Standing amidst the pastures of the Gitschberg Jochtal region, between the blue of the sky, the swaying grasses, fir trees and endless views, is something very special indeed.
#2 The Birch Garden in the Pustertal Valley: where forest and meadow scents meet
WALTER HOLZER, HOST AT THE BERGHOTEL SEXTEN: Spending a hiking holiday in South Tyrol usually means you don’t have far for your next destination. There are wonderful places of power to be discovered everywhere. The garden of silence around our mountain hotel invites guests to reflect and contemplate. Surrounded by the forest pines and larches, the sun shimmers through the dense foliage of the birch trees as bees buzz from flower to flower and pebbles crunch underfoot. All of these miniature sensory experiences will give you a deep feeling of peace and security. You too are sure to sense it!
#3 The ancient larches of the Ulten Valley: where time stands still
VICTORIA & GUNTER HOLZNER, HOSTS AT THE HOTEL WALTERSHOF: Hiking into the past? A holiday in South Tyrol makes this possible – at least if you find yourself in the rustic Ulten Valley, where in the vicinity of St. Gertraud, the valley’s highest village, the tops of three proud larch trees tower. They are believed to be the oldest conifers in Europe: legend has it that they are over 2,000 years old. Their true age remains a mystery, however, as the decayed interior of the trees makes it almost impossible to count the annual rings correctly. The thickest trunk measures over eight metres in circumference. The trees themselves, more than 35 metres high, have been battered by storms and bad weather; one treetop has completely died as a result of a lightning strike. But, in spring of each year, these larches sprout their delicate green shoots and thus bear witness to nature’s will to survive. The ancient larches stand directly on the Ulten Farm Trail, a popular circular route that leads from Kuppelwies to St. Gertraud and back again.
#4 The “Silent Way” in the Schnals valley: inspiration at every step
PATRIZIA GÖTSCH, HOST AT THE HOTEL TONZHAUS: Many of our guests enjoy hiking holidays in South Tyrol and I am happy to accompany them every time. I always start my hike to a place of power at seven in the morning, when nature is stretching its limbs and the church bells are ringing in a new day. The chirping birds invite you to listen, while the scents of the forest tempt you to relax. I pass the waterfall and the ancient larch trees with a group of inquisitive hikers: I like to pause at these magical places, but the rest of the way also lends me strength. We walk meditatively, slowly and in complete silence. Who needs words when nature speaks to us from the heart?
#5 Maria Weissenstein in the Eggen Valley: where miracles have happened
LUIS BRUNNER, HOST AT THE HOTEL ERICA: There is an old pilgrimage trail from Leifers up to the Baroque basilica of Maria Weissenstein. I wonder how many feet have already trodden this path? South Tyrol’s most important place of pilgrimage is undoubtedly a place of power: Our Lady is said to have appeared here in 1553 to a hermit who had fallen into a ravine. But it is not just the religious aspects that make Maria Weissenstein so extraordinary: meadows and forests surround the “Cathedral in the Dolomites”, while the peaks on the horizon seem to watch over the church. It is truly a unique place, one that touches me every time anew.
Have we aroused your curiosity? More attractions and information for a hiking holiday in South Tyrol can be found here.
GERD OBERHOFER, HOST AT THE HOTEL LÄRCHENHOF: Freedom; remoteness; tranquillity: if anyone asks me if I know a place of power, it’s the “Klein-Gitsch” (“Little Lass”) that spontaneously comes to mind. Don’t let the name fool you, however, as this mountain always makes a BIG impression. It is easily accessible via the lift from the Altfassa Valley or Meransen and it’s my special tip for a hiking holiday in South Tyrol. Standing amidst the pastures of the Gitschberg Jochtal region, between the blue of the sky, the swaying grasses, fir trees and endless views, is something very special indeed.
#2 The Birch Garden in the Pustertal Valley: where forest and meadow scents meet
WALTER HOLZER, HOST AT THE BERGHOTEL SEXTEN: Spending a hiking holiday in South Tyrol usually means you don’t have far for your next destination. There are wonderful places of power to be discovered everywhere. The garden of silence around our mountain hotel invites guests to reflect and contemplate. Surrounded by the forest pines and larches, the sun shimmers through the dense foliage of the birch trees as bees buzz from flower to flower and pebbles crunch underfoot. All of these miniature sensory experiences will give you a deep feeling of peace and security. You too are sure to sense it!
#3 The ancient larches of the Ulten Valley: where time stands still
VICTORIA & GUNTER HOLZNER, HOSTS AT THE HOTEL WALTERSHOF: Hiking into the past? A holiday in South Tyrol makes this possible – at least if you find yourself in the rustic Ulten Valley, where in the vicinity of St. Gertraud, the valley’s highest village, the tops of three proud larch trees tower. They are believed to be the oldest conifers in Europe: legend has it that they are over 2,000 years old. Their true age remains a mystery, however, as the decayed interior of the trees makes it almost impossible to count the annual rings correctly. The thickest trunk measures over eight metres in circumference. The trees themselves, more than 35 metres high, have been battered by storms and bad weather; one treetop has completely died as a result of a lightning strike. But, in spring of each year, these larches sprout their delicate green shoots and thus bear witness to nature’s will to survive. The ancient larches stand directly on the Ulten Farm Trail, a popular circular route that leads from Kuppelwies to St. Gertraud and back again.
#4 The “Silent Way” in the Schnals valley: inspiration at every step
PATRIZIA GÖTSCH, HOST AT THE HOTEL TONZHAUS: Many of our guests enjoy hiking holidays in South Tyrol and I am happy to accompany them every time. I always start my hike to a place of power at seven in the morning, when nature is stretching its limbs and the church bells are ringing in a new day. The chirping birds invite you to listen, while the scents of the forest tempt you to relax. I pass the waterfall and the ancient larch trees with a group of inquisitive hikers: I like to pause at these magical places, but the rest of the way also lends me strength. We walk meditatively, slowly and in complete silence. Who needs words when nature speaks to us from the heart?
#5 Maria Weissenstein in the Eggen Valley: where miracles have happened
LUIS BRUNNER, HOST AT THE HOTEL ERICA: There is an old pilgrimage trail from Leifers up to the Baroque basilica of Maria Weissenstein. I wonder how many feet have already trodden this path? South Tyrol’s most important place of pilgrimage is undoubtedly a place of power: Our Lady is said to have appeared here in 1553 to a hermit who had fallen into a ravine. But it is not just the religious aspects that make Maria Weissenstein so extraordinary: meadows and forests surround the “Cathedral in the Dolomites”, while the peaks on the horizon seem to watch over the church. It is truly a unique place, one that touches me every time anew.
Have we aroused your curiosity? More attractions and information for a hiking holiday in South Tyrol can be found here.