Holiday apartment in Stern: Art Trail, church art and mountain landscape

Stern combines an impressive mountain landscape with Ladin culture, historic buildings and unusual trails. The Tru di artisć is an open-air gallery opened in summer 2011, turning a walk into an encounter with art beneath the open sky. When choosing your holiday apartment in Stern, you can therefore choose between active days in nature and cultural discoveries.

Holiday apartment in Stern between art and mountain trails

The Tru di artisć, the artists’ trail, features installations with verses in the Ladin language. It is approximately 3.5 km long and closed to motorised traffic. The approximate length is a concrete measure for planning your day; the ban on motorised traffic is part of the trail’s profile. Those combining the trail with other destinations can structure their route based on these key figures without having to commit in advance to a specific walking time, sequence of breaks or duration of the day. Art, language and the character of the trail come together directly here. Another alpine hike begins in La Villa and crosses the eastern part of Puez-Odle Nature Park. From La Villa, hiking and pilgrimage trails also lead to the Santa Croce sanctuary near the Armentarawiesen meadows. This brings different forms of travel side by side: an artistic trail, an alpine hike and trails with a religious destination.

Mountain nature around La Villa

La Villa is surrounded by Puez-Odle Nature Park and Fanes-Sennes-Prags Nature Park. At the same time, La Villa lies at the foot of the Fanes-Santa-Croce mountain group. This combination of two nature parks and a striking mountain range shapes the choice of your holiday activities: You can focus on the landscape and hiking trails or combine experiences in nature with culture and winter sports. If you are looking for accommodation, this thematic comparison can help you determine the desired pace of your trip.

Church, painting and historic architectural styles

The present parish church of Our Lady in La Villa was consecrated in 1516. Inside are paintings by the artists Pescoller, created in 1897 and 1949. The side altars also deserve a close look, as they feature a distinctive Tuscan-Gothic style. Another building is Ciastel Colz, also known as Castello di Colz or Residenza Rubatsch. It has four towers – two rectangular and two round – as well as an enclosing wall and numerous loopholes. Ciastel Colz is privately owned and not open to visitors.

Winter highlights

The Piz La Ila cable car connects La Villa with the northern part of the ski area. Competitions in the Alpine Ski World Cup have been held on the Gran Risa downhill course since 1985. These two facts give a winter stay a clear profile without excluding other types of travel. When choosing your holiday apartment in Stern, you can therefore consider whether access to mountain trails, proximity to cultural attractions or winter sports is the most important focus for you.

Other places for planning your trip

For further options, you can also consider Wengen, Kiens, Casere-Knappenegg, Enneberg, Floronzo, Gais, Niederdorf and Gsies.

For the higher-level travel overview: Pustertal.