Top attractions in Castelrotto, South Tyrol

The Iceman Ötzi is over 5,000 years old and thus the oldest glaciar mummy ever found. Until his discovery, this Neolithic man has been preserved in the eternal ice at Hauslab mountain pass. Today, you can visit the Iceman at the Museum of Archaelogy in Bolzano/Bozen, the region’s exciting capital.

Alpe di Siusi/Seiser Alm and the Sciliar region belong to the ultimate attractions in South Tyrol, extending over 57 m², a surface corresponding to roughly 8,000 football fields. Alpe di Siusi is in fact the largest high plain in mid Europe. The Dolomites surrounding the high plain are a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the Sciliar-Catinaccio/Schlern-Rosengarten nature park is the most speciose region in South Tyrol with over 5,000 species of plants and animals.

On the castle mountain in Castelrotto/Kastelruth, the so-called Kofel hill, you find a shady square, the so-called “bowling square”. Apparently, nine golden bowling pins and two silver bowling balls are buried right under this square. According to myth, each night at midnight the bowling square becomes the site for a bowling match of the knights and damsels who used to live here. This story is one out of many about the Sciliar region. A great number of sites and sights in Castelrotto in South Tyrol tell of the fairy-tale creatures and mythical figures who were once believed to live in this area.

This hiking trail, created in memory of the mountaineers and ski legends Paula Wiesinger and Hans Steger, is ideal for people of every age. The trail on Alpe di Siusi/Seiser Alm leads from Compaccio/Kompatsch to Saltria and is lined with informational boards, offering hikers interesting insight into the land and culture of Alpe di Siusi.

This group of buildings is unique in Castelrotto. On the castle wall’s ancient remains of the fortification, you find a trail which was established at the beginning of the 18th century to remember the passion of Christ and his death in Golgatha, Jerusalem. Follow the trail leading from the village to the porphyr rock and notice the various lovely chapels lining the path. During the Holy Week these seven chapels are illuminated and decorated. On Maundy Thursday and Good Friday you can participate in the traditional Kofel-hill procession, taking place in the evenings, right after church.

The monastery was founded in 1142 by bishop Hartmann from Bressanone/Brixen. Then, it was a well-frequented hospice and hostel for pilgrims on their way to the Holy Land or to Rome. Today, its main attractions are the famous library, the educational programme and a tavern where you can enjoy a glass of fine wine in a warm ambience.

It may not be a classic one among the attractions in Castelrotto/Kastelruth in South Tyrol, but it is part of the living traditions in the Isarco/Eisacktal Valley. In autumn, after bringing in the harvest, the local wine taverns and farms invite for the traditional “Törggelen”. Törggelen is all about celebrating life and indulging in typical delicacies such as Tyrolean dumplings (“Knödel”), meat platter (“Schlachtplatte”) and sweet farmers’ doughnuts (“Krapfen”). Not far from Castelrotto/Kastelruth you find the artist’s town of Chiusa/Klausen, which is supposed to be the birth place of this much loved South Tyrolean culinary tradition.

Shortly after the Laranz sports zone in Telfen, Castelrotto, you find the markings leading you onto the mushroom trail. The trail can be mastered in about 30 minutes’ walking time; the trail is thus ideal for the entire family. On the trail you can admire artworks in all sizes, sculpted to represent a variety of local mushrooms. On the highest point of the trail you find a wooden high seat, offering a fantastic view of the region. Please do not collect the mushrooms growing along this trail.