Tracking down the iceman, churches, and monasteries
Do you love nature, panoramic views, and variety? Then, the most picturesque side valley of Merano is the right place for you. The Val Senales valley presents its sights on various levels. Not only the proud glacier has a lot to offer, but also the wide valley a few hundred metres below. Churches, monasteries, high ropes courses, traditional farms, the legacy of Ötzi, the iceman, even a museum is waiting for you in Val Senales. Discover the most famous attractions here and visit us to see them live!

Highly impressive: the sights on the Val Senales glacier
No matter where you look from the Val Senales glacier: each peak and every ice crystal is an attraction of its own. If you spin around once, you can spot a whopping 126 mountain tops above 3,000 metres of altitude.

If you want to see even further, you can climb the Iceman Ötzi Peak by ascending the steel steps just a few minutes away from the mountain station of the glacier cable car. This panoramic platform offers a spectacular view on 360°, from the Mediterranean Sea to the town of Maso Corto down in the valley below.

The Hochjochferner glacier is known for a tradition that has acquired UNESCO World Heritage status – the transhumance: thousands of sheep will leave their summer pasture in Austria and return to Val Senales crossing the glacier. A unique attraction that mesmerises visitors year after year.

Additionally, it’s possible to visit the finding site of the iceman through a guided tour. The famous glacier mummy from the Val Senales glacier has left traces that still fascinate us today.

Variety in the valley: lots to see and to do
Did you know that Val Senales has its own Ötzi museum? You can discover more about him and the life of our stone-age ancestors at the archeoParc in Val Senales. This open-air archaeological museum offers interesting insights into the life and environment of Ötzi. 

Among the many things to see at archeoParc Val Senales are the exhibition “Ötzi’s equipment in reconstruction”, fire making demonstrations, a telescope with a view to the site where Ötzi was discovered, a visitors’ bread baking workshop, reconstructed stone-age houses, and an archery range.

The various villages in the Val Senales valley are also worth a visit:

• Maso Corto, the winter sports village at the foot of the glacier
• Vernago with its emerald green artificial lake and the submerged bell tower
• Madonna di Senales, pilgrimage site and home to Val Senales’ Ötzi museum
• Certosa, a village born of the remains of the abandoned Carthusian monastery of Allerengelberg
• The wildly romantic Val di Fosse valley in the middle of the Texel Group nature park
• Monte Santa Caterina with its traditional farms and the impressive church

If you want to know more about the highlights in the valley, click here.

Some hiking spots are also part of the attractions of Val Senales – like the Fainalhof, once Europe’s highest crop farm. If instead of hiking or skiing you prefer more adrenaline-laden activities, you will love the rock-climbing garden at Marchegg. It’s located at Maso Corto and suitable for the whole family thanks to different levels of difficulty. For those that want to aim even higher, we recommend the Ötzi Rope Park, a high ropes course with 12 different routes, a giant swing and three zip lines over the gorge.

From the Iceman Ötzi Peak down to the museums and villages in the valley, from cultural highlights to natural phenomena: visit Val Senales in Italy to get carried away by the aura of this place!