Il “Sentiero del Sole” in Valle Aurina, Alto Adige

Il “Sentiero del Sole” in Valle Aurina, in Trentino-Alto Adige, is a path of 30 kilometers that runs along slopes where the sun always shines.

When the snow melts and gives way to flowering meadows warmed by the summer heat, the Sentiero del Sole fills with light, a trail that gently winds connecting Lutago to San Pietro, dotted with small sundials, the only contact with time allowed at these altitudes. Because on the never-shaded side of the Zillertal Alps, between 1000 and 1450 meters above sea level, the clock plays strange tricks.

Step by step, past and present become one and it seems possible to glimpse the footprints of smugglers who used this same path to cross into Austria, loaded with wine and brandy, returning with sacks full of white gold, namely salt and saccharin.

And among the farms, one has the impression of distinguishing the mule of a “Kroma,” as the old peddlers were called who delivered their goods to homes, when the mountain was hardship and courage. It feels like a journey into the past, because the farms are still there, inhabited by proud farmers who produce their own cheeses raising goats and cows, and gather medicinal herbs with twisting names, following knowledge handed down from generation to generation.

They do it where the air is clean, and in fact all products from the Valle Aurina are recognized as biologically pure, nurtured by a generous and beautiful environment, in which to walk tasting the flavor of milk, speck, to fill oneself with the self-love of the superb South Tyrolean products.

The Sentiero del Sole lasts about seven hours, but it is not necessary to walk it all at once. Nearby, there are bus stops to get off and on whenever you want. Because besides the main path, there is a whole network of thematic trails also of short duration, designed so as not to miss any of the miracles of the Valley.

There is, for example, a characteristic hike dedicated to water, here where it never runs short, so much that it seems the name Aurina borrowed from the Aurino river meant precisely “running water.” It runs fast and icy along the waterfall loop, which starting from Lutago leads to the Rio Nero waterfall, on foot following the wooden sculptures made by international artists for the annual symposium.

The final destination is a joy for the eyes: a 15-meter drop, down to a small blue basin, the river curls into a protected place where one can enjoy the rainbow (about an hour and a half round trip). Or you can detour to San Giovanni towards the mountain huts, which with their painted private chapels, have erected monuments of faith very close to the sky.

Also in San Giovanni, there is a special hike dedicated to children who love adventure. It is the Witches’ Path, where it is said that witches were often seen with their brooms and pointed hats: on the trail watched over by little stone men, a large boulder to climb, a deep bear cave for the bravest, an enchanted pond to meet the Sun witch, and finally the enchanted seat of an old sorceress.

The most attentive hiker can also spot signs of a distant past, in the Petroglyphs of the Platter Rock Face: from these stylized engravings, a pair of chamois still jump, despite the passing time. And also the San Leonardo path, which passes above the woods and meadows of San Giacomo and hosts a Kneipp installation, where to immerse tired feet, refresh the limbs and help blood circulation. With a heart beating fast, in love with this Valley.

For information on the Sentiero del Sole

Tourist Association Valle Aurina
Via Aurina, 22 – 39030 Lutago/Valle Aurina
Tel. 0474 671136
E-mail: info@ahrntal.it