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53,000,000 square meters of beauty - the Seiser Alm in South Tyrol
South Tyrol — what a wonderful region in the southern foothills of the Alps! Italy's Northernmost Province is unbelievably impressive with its culture and landscape. The various mountain ranges and rock chains, especially the Dolomites, form a variety of very different valleys — from very small, narrow ones to ten kilometers wide, which are almost reminiscent of flat landscapes. One of the most famous valleys is the Eisack Valley — the one where the Brenner Autobahn runs south from Munich and Innsbruck. The valley to the land of the sun, so to speak. Completely invisible from the Brenner motorway, east of the Eisack Valley lies one of the most fascinating landscapes in Europe: the Seiser Alm, the highest plateau in Europe.
I'm taking advantage of a lovely June day to explore this gem. Getting up early is a must. First, because the Seiser Alm is big and there is a lot to explore. And secondly, because the access road via Castelrotto is closed to car traffic from 09:00 to 17:00. And even earlier, when the Central Parking Lot at the Top of the Alpine Pasture is fully occupied. And that is often the case earlier than 09:00, at least in summer. First come, paint first, we know that. I start from the Sarntal Valley, the Valley West of the Eisack Valley. Even the trail becomes a first highlight: It takes me across the Ritten, a part of the mountain ridge that separates the Sarntal and Eisack Valley.
The Route Alone is impressive because it offers you a fantastic panoramic view from Ritten: in the South of the Regional Capital of Bolzano, in the North the Main Alpine Ridge, which is located majestically and peacefully — and in the west the Seiser Alm. A view from afar as a first appetizer, so to speak.
The Rain of the Last Few Days offers me a special spectacle: While the Rock Chains of the Seiser Alm are already in the morning sun, the Eisack Valley below is still covered in Clouds of Morning Fog. What a scene!
It goes down from Ritten over small — no: smallest — roads, narrow, winding, on which you meet mountain farmers in their old Fiat 500 and Fiat Pandas again and again at these early hours of the morning, who bring their fresh milk to the collection points. In line with the romantic ideas that many of us probably have about Italy.
And on the other side of the valley, it goes up again, first to Castelrotto and from there on over the serpentines up to Kompatsch on the Seiser Alm.
Raise the curtain — for a really big stage
Once at the parking lot, there's a good cappuccino (logically a 'good' one, we're in Italy after all!) and a hearty ciabatta. The day is going to be long, the Seiser Alm is big and the plan is to explore it by mountain bike. Good strengthening is therefore recommended. And they are there in the morning sun, which now rises above the mountain peaks just before 09:00 in June. Can a day start better?
That's when it starts. The first kilometers from Kompatsch are characterized by the view over a huge plain — just not on the ground but at 1,900 meters above sea level! The mountain meadows seem to flow around you, in gentle waves, occasionally dabbed with small, dark brown wooden huts whose wood has been tanned by sun and rain over a long period of time. All this is framed by steep rock faces on the horizon, which seem to make the whole spectacle an oversized arena in which the beauty of nature plays the main role. And above all, the summer sun, which here at altitude dispenses with its relentless heat, which it spreads down in the valley — wow, wow!
A special quality of products and culture
Well, and it goes on almost constantly for the next few hours: With every few hundred meters that you go deeper into the Seiser Alm, new views open up: Sometimes it is a small mountain stream that cuts through the meadows, sometimes a deep dark piece of forest that there is to hike through or even drive through. And there is almost always a view of one of the numerous rocks — the Sassolungo, the Spitzkofel, the Schlern, the Roterdspitze and what they are all called.
All of these rocks or rock groups form virtually a three-quarter circle around this high plateau, which covers an area of 56 square kilometers to the north, south and east. It slopes west towards the Eisack Valley — which is why you can already see it from Ritten across the street. This plateau is between 1,650 and 2,350 meters above sea level.
These high meadows, called alpine pastures, are traditionally used by farmers to graze their cattle there in summer and raise the young. Mostly cows and oxen, but also horses, sheep and goats. The value of these alpine pastures lies in their pristine nature. Because they are almost unaffected by humans, nature could and can develop freely here. Among other things, this results in a high level of biodiversity: On the Seiser Alm alone, almost 800 different plant species have been counted! The geographical location south of the Alps certainly contributes to the rest, after all, the Seiser Alm has an average of 300 days of sunshine per year.
These conditions, as well as the diversity and pristine nature, result in a completely different level of density of nutrients and aromas in grass (and hay in autumn). This in turn has a direct impact on animal health and the quality of milk and meat. Yes, and this in turn — logically — has a direct effect on the corresponding products. The taste of cheese made from such milk alone is so much more intense and full-bodied that cheese from industrial production can hardly be described as tasty afterwards. In any case, that's the way I feel.
As the largest mountain meadow, not only in South Tyrol but in the whole of Europe, the Seiser Alm therefore offers an immeasurable treasure in terms of the quality of the products it produces. And this has been the case for at least 500 years; in any case, there is evidence of the management of the Seiser Alm from this period.
In addition to the products, there is also another quality: that of culture and coexistence. The balance and friendliness that you encounter everywhere here can, I think, be described directly as wellness for the soul. Definitely another quality feature of this region of Europe!
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And the future is alive — on the Seiser Alm
On my way up to the Williamshütte near Mount Sassolungo, I suddenly barely believe my eyes: At an altitude of more than 2,000 meters, in the midst of a collection of a few wooden houses, I suddenly see a building that stands out from the usual traditional appearance. Built with clean lines and modern materials, it nestles in the mountain. And it is in no way disruptive, on the contrary: In its almost futuristic form and when embedded in the landscape, it forms a real harmony of nature and architecture — and above all between tradition and modernity! And all the more so in the immediate vicinity of the oldest church on the Seiser Alm. Absolutely exciting how past and future can be so in harmony!
I get curious and go to the restaurant right next door — the Zallinger. It has existed up here since at least 1850, first as a mountain farm and then at some point as a hotel first for hikers, then at some point for skiers and now also for cyclists.
I ask what this futuristic building in front of the house is. And learn that this is part of the wellness area. They wanted to modernize and expand the hotel a few years ago — and came into contact with noa.network, an architecture firm from Bolzano, for this purpose. In the initial discussions on the basic concept of the renovation and expansion (in particular the wellness area), noa.network proposed an exciting approach: Not simply a nostalgic repetition of the traditional architectural style of the Seiser Alm, but a modern, future-oriented development of this tradition. The history of the location and its individual elements, such as the buildings, serve as a basis for ideas from which to develop the future of the place. The idea of individual bungalows (instead of an entire building, for example) is based on the type of buildings of the former “residents” there: stables for the cattle. The buildings now serve the current residents, the hotel guests. Yes, and this modern building that has caught my attention is the sauna with huge windows that offer a view of the magnificent landscape: Sassolungo on one side and the vast expanse of the Seiser Alm on the other. And this without visually interfering with the landscape in any disruptive way, but rather gently blending in with it.
Wow, I think what a fascinating approach to so seamlessly reconcile tradition and future — while taking into account the needs of people and nature at the same time! I think this can directly serve as a prime example of how to successfully shape the future of a regional tradition — of which we are rich in our Europe! I absolutely need to learn more about this, about the people at and behind noa.network, about their approach, their understanding. Because Europe can definitely learn a lot from this! But first it's time to get back on the bike and go further and deeper into this incredible landscape...
What an exciting approach to harmonize tradition and future almost seamlessly!
The Seiser Alm — a paradise of colors, shapes, scents and aromas
Yes, what else is there to say about the Seiser Alm?
First of all, that it seems impossible to capture this landscape with its atmosphere in photography and words in a way that does it justice to it. The vastness, the remoteness (yet in the middle of South Tyrol) and the variety of vast alpine meadows on one side and high cliffs on the other make this Seiser Alm something very special, whose fascination, in my opinion, is impossible to escape.
After a very long round, I sit down to the back of the Seiser Alm for (somewhat late) lunch in Loranzer Silence. What could be better here than homemade bread dumplings with goulash from local cattle. An honestly earned meal after such an activity, made by down-to-earth, wonderfully friendly and honest people. In addition, the view over the seemingly endless expanse of this paradisiacal landscape of colors as well as the scent and aroma of summer alpine meadows with their seemingly endless variety of grasses, flowers and herbs: nettle, lemon balm, marigold, sheep, thousandguldenherb, buckwheat blossoms — to name just a few of the almost 800 plant species. And all together up here in the best harmony between humans, animals and nature. Yes, this is also a quality of Europe, in my opinion: That something like this is protected and maintained!
And as I indulge in this pleasure in its various sensory dimensions, I wonder whether there isn't any way of making this something tangible if image and text alone are unable to do so. I remember the bartender in Zallinger. Didn't he mention that there is someone in Castelrotto who makes gin and other drinks from exactly these herbs from the Seiser Alm? And that also allows you to experience the scent and taste of this paradise without coming here?
Well then, on and back across the wonderful expanses of the Seiser Alm towards Castelrotto!
P.S. And I will definitely be back, for example in autumn, when these now green summer meadows and their deciduous trees have changed into a glowing yellow-red sea of colors and nature reveals its fruits of summer. Or in winter, when this fascinating plateau has turned its sea of green waves into white waves — and in the midst of which the rocks shine raised in the winter sun — I can hardly wait!
WHAT WE TAKE AWAY FOR EUROPE
Europe, just look how wonderful it is to remain open to the future despite a long tradition — and even to carry it constructively from your own past into tomorrow! And this is simply in harmony between people and nature — probably because: Let's all learn from the Seiser Alm!
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