Ratschings - Racines walks

This is a must-do circuit in the Ridanna Valley. This beautiful hike follows the Burkhard torrent at the bottom of the Ridanna Valley, near the old mines, climbing up towards the glacial cirque. The waterfall trail is well maintained, with wooden walkways, bridges and superb views along the way. The circuit passes by the Aglsbodenalm inn, where you can stop for a bite to eat during the summer. A pleasant and varied loop with magnificent scenery.

Walther von der Wogelweide was a renowned minstrel of the German Middle Ages. His statue stands in one of Bolzano's main squares. He is said to have been born in the village of Ried, in the municipality of Lajen/Laion, and the route traced there commemorates his life and work. The route is marked by signs bearing the words "Wogelweide runweg" and an orange logo decorated with a bust of a medieval woman, and is embellished with metal works, some of which are very beautiful.

Start and finish at the village cable cars with some lovely views around Casterotto A beautiful, fairly steep climb alongside the cable cars through pastures leads to the woods for most of the ascent. Very pleasant on a warm, sunny day. No major difficulties until you reach the highest point of this loop. There are a few small inns to choose from in Marinzen or at the Schafstall hütte. There is a slight variation from the route shown on tourist maps when descending towards St Michael. The descent is quite steep. The rest of the route follows a paved road with no traffic, passing through a charming hamlet and offering beautiful views of the mountains and the village. the total distance is 10 km and the variety of the route means you can enjoy it all the way through.

Val Di Funes/Villnösstal is a little paradise at the foot of the Odle mountains. This valley, home to the famous mountaineer Reinhold Messner, is off the beaten track. Passing by the foot of the vertiginous cliffs, you can understand how the vocation of one of the greatest conquerors of the peaks came about. And the bucolic setting of this valley also explains why he puts so much energy into defending a natural mountain. Some places have several names: Val di Funes/Villnösstal, Zannes/Zans, GampenAlm/Malga Gampen

To the west of the Dolomites, just above the Isarco Valley, there is a rather surreal place. Imagine a plateau covering several thousand hectares, with undulating terrain between 1,800 and 2,400 metres above sea level, almost completely devoid of trees, and dotted with hundreds of alpine barns. And all this is surrounded by several Dolomite massifs rising to over 3,000 metres. Here you can give free rein to your wanderlust, and the suggested route is the one we took to discover the area.

A superb hike in the Puez Geisler Odle Nature Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This route offers magnificent panoramic views at the foot of the Fermeda, Sass Rigais and Furchetta peaks. At Seceda, a promontory high above the void, you'll witness a spectacular alignment of these peaks, posing for you. At various other points on the loop, you'll enjoy marvellous panoramic views of the Langkofel, Schlern and Sella massifs.