Villanders - Villandro

The municipality of Villanders, to which the St. Moritz and St. Valentin fractions belong, is situated on a mountain slope in the Isarco Valley. Nestled in orchards and vineyards, the beautiful village centre is situated at an altitude of 880 metres above Chiusa. 

The Archeoparc Plunacker in the centre of Villanders takes you back to times long gone. Due to several stone tools and traces of settlements, which were found in the region and date from the Neolithic to Roman times, it is assumed that Villanders was inhabited very early and that the Villanderer Alm was already economically used about 10,000 years ago. The Villanders mine was one of the most important mining areas of Tyrol in the Middle Ages. After being forgotten for a long time after its closure at the beginning of the 20th century, it has been renovated in recent years and today the winding galleries of the silver mine at Pfunderer Berg, where silver was mined among other things, are open to visitors. 

Around Villanders there are numerous possibilities to explore the surrounding villages and enjoy the unique panorama. A particularly beautiful hiking trail is the famous "Keschtnweg", which runs under old chestnut trees and past Gravetsch Castle, where the lords of Villanders resided in the 12th century. On somewhat more demanding trails you can also hike through the untouched nature on the high plateau of the Villanderer Alm, one of the widest and most beautiful high alpine pastures in South Tyrol. Further up lies surrounded by a barren environment characterized by dry grasses and rocky boulders, the dark lake Totensee and not far from it, at an altitude of about 2.190 m at the transition from Villanders to the Sarntal valley, the Totenkirchl.

Whether it's a wonderful snowshoe hike through enchanting fairytale landscapes, a fun toboggan run or an adventurous ski tour through snow-covered coniferous forests: The alpine pastures above Villanders also turn into a true paradise in winter.