The five most beautiful villages and sites in the Puster Valley

The Puster Valley! A holiday in the heart of the Dolomites

And if for your Holidays in the Dolomites you chose the Val Pusteria?

Val Pusteria In German, Val Pusteria is a beautiful green valley that borders the northern side of the Dolomites and runs along the border between Italy and Austria.

When you look south, you will see sharp, rocky mountains of architectural beauty blocking the horizon: the Dolomites.

On the other hand, towards the north, the border, the landscape is gentler, with peaks covered with meadows in summer, and very white in winter.

La Val Pusteria , Pustertal also represents a connecting route between the Tyrol and Osttirol, its eastern part. Tyrolean culture, tinged with more southern aspects of the South Tyrol, is very present in architecture, culture and exchanges.

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Climatologically, this East-West orientation facilitates the arrival of cold continental air, so much so that the Dobbiaco-Toblach weather station has been recording cold winter records for decades. -15 degrees or -20 degrees are not uncommon in the area, although they are becoming much less frequent.

The highest point of this 70km long valley is the Dobbiaco Pass, which is located at an altitude of about 1200m and has the particularity of being the watershed between the Rienza which flows into the Adige and the Adriatic Sea, and the Drau which flows into the Danube and then the Black Sea. A real geographical border which precedes by about ten kilometers the political border between Italy and Austria.

It is a valley easily accessible thanks to the train that crosses it along the line that leaves Fortezza in Italy, along the Brenner line, and Lienz in Austria, heading east.

The historical and cultural capital of the Puster Valley is Brunico - BrunicoIt is also one of the most beautiful villages in the Pustertal. Its castle bears witness to the importance of this small medieval mountain town. But it is not the only castle. The one in Campo Tures – Taufers is imposing and blocks the entrance to the side valley of the Ahrental – Valle Aurina, and the one in Ehrenburg surprises with its very well-preserved architecture.

The Val Pusteria – Pustertal, and its side valleys are full of splendid natural sites.

Here are the five most beautiful of them.

Lake Braies, the pearl of the Dolomites

During your Holidays in the Dolomites you can't miss Lake Braies.

Le Lake Braies – Pragsersee , located at almost 1500m above sea level, marks the visitor with its turquoise color. Framed by the cliffs of the Croda del Becco which peaks at more than 2800m, this small lake is a jewel framed by thick forests. In summer, you can row in a boat to appreciate the impressive natural site. In winter, it is most often frozen.

Legend has it that the lake was created by the opening of underground springs by the inhabitants of this high valley to drown the wealth of precious materials that the caves were full of and which aroused the desires of the shepherds and breeders of the Val Pusteria.

Other legends, from the Ladin culture, tell of a hidden kingdom, that of the Fanes, which hid beneath the surface of the lake. The dolomites that surround this lake are also called the Dolomites of Fanes, and constitute a natural park.

Val Fiscalina, the ideal place for a holiday in the Dolomites

Certainly one of the most beautiful valleys in the Alps. Very popular with hikers who wish to penetrate the heart of the dolomites and by cross-country skiers who in winter crisscross its forests, Val Fiscalina presents itself as a vast wooded plateau whose horizon is barred by imposing Dolomite peaks. The ideal valley to spend magnificent Holidays in the Dolomites!

It is accessed via the village of Sexto in Pusteria – Sixten, a small ski resort whose slopes surround the site. In summer the green color of the meadows contrasts with the dark green of the forests and the orange color of the Dolomites. In winter, after a snowfall everything is white, covered in snow, up to the highest peaks.

The hikes in the valley bottom are easy and suitable for all audiences.

Lake Dobbiaco, on the way to the crossing of the Dolomites

Site dobbiaco is spectacular. The Val Pusteria – Pustertal widens and you can step back to better admire the Dolomites that border it to the south. Dobbiaco is at a crossroads. In fact, the Val di Landro allows you to reach Cortina d'Ampezzo and Veneto in a notch within the dolomites, by a very wild road marked with war cemeteries from the First World War when Italian and Austro-Hungarian soldiers fought to defend the border.

At the very beginning of this road, at the foot of the first peaks of the dolomites, including the Haunold at almost 3000m, is the Lake Dobbiaco. Recognizable among dozens of others by the silhouette of the mountains that frame it, its surface freezes for several months in winter, so that it can be crossed on foot or on skis, and you can play curling games near its banks. In summer, the coolness of the place invites you to take a boat ride or to walk around it to admire its colors.

A few swans enjoy the place and are found in all the photos of visitors who come to Dobbiaco for their Holidays in the Dolomites.

Plan de Corones – Kronplatz, ski holidays facing the Dolomites.

Dominant Brunico With its rounded curves, this hill, which rises to an altitude of over 2200 metres, could only become a renowned ski resort. And it has.

Several ski lifts allow you to reach the summit of Plan de Corones from Val Pusteria or from Val Marebbe and make its ascent easier.

In fact, when you visit the Val Pusteria, you absolutely have to climb to the top of the Kronplatz. From the highest point, the view extends 360 degrees over the South TyrolVery close by, the peaks of Val Badia enhance the panorama towards the South, while the Zillertal Alps, a border area with Tyrol, accompany the view towards the North.

Descending the wooded and flowery slopes in summer, or snowy in winter, allows you to land gently at one of the many bars and restaurants in the villages that spread out at the foot of this mountain, while continuing to enjoy the landscapes, sometimes alpine, sometimes dolomitic, depending on the slope chosen.

At the top of Plan de Corones- KronPlatz, two curiosities await you. The antenna of the Messner Mountain Museum dedicated to traditional mountaineering. There are five more in South Tyrol!

There will also be the enormous Peace Bell, weighing 16 tonnes, cast in Salzburg based on plans by an architect from nearby Val Gardena.

Lake Misurina and the Drei Zinnen, the jewels of the Dolomites

Le Lake Misurina, is no longer really in the Val Puster, but it is the visitors to this valley as well as those who spend their holidays in the Dolomites who Cortina d'Ampezzo which we find on its banks.

Located in Veneto, but on the road that connects Dobbiaco to Cortina d'Ampezzo The site of Lake Misurina is remarkable. At either end of the lake stand two old hotels typical of these isolated locations: large buildings that one could easily call the Grand Hotel du Lac. Each end of the lake offers a remarkable view of the surrounding mountains: on one side, the impassable rocky massif of Sorapis, and on the other, the famous Three Peaks, in Italian Tre Cime di Lavaredo. Three Dolomite peaks close together like the tips of a trident. The hikes that approach the base of these peaks are unforgettable. This is one of the hearts of the Dolomites, a mountainous area where each massif has its own history and its own legends.

La Val Pusteria – Pustertal, known as the Green Valley in summer, or the Siberia of Italy in winter, allows you to spend an extremely pleasant stay in the villages that lie at the foot of the Dolomites: Rio Pusteria-Mühlbach, Kienz, Brunico-Bruneck, Valdaora-Olang, Villabassa-Niederdorf, Dobbiaco-Toblach, San Candido-Innichen as well as all the hamlets not mentioned. But also, this valley gives access to regions that are just as beautiful to discover: the Anterselva Valley, the Valle Aurina, the Val di Tures, the Val di Sesto, the Val Marebbe and the Val Badia to name just a few.

The culture of South Tyrol is very present there, which guarantees a change of scenery, as much in the language as in the architecture or the gastronomy.

A stay in the Puster Valley is certainly unforgettable. You will fall in love with this corner in the far north of Italy.