San Pancrazio

With Eschenlohe Castle, the small St. Helena Church and the “House on the Stone”, San Pancrazio has some interesting buildings to show

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Video : Churches in South Tyrol
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The municipality of San Pancrazio has more than a few beautiful hiking trails, such as the one to the St. Helena Church or the Val d’Ultimo Valley Trail.
Foto: AT, © Peer
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St. Pankraz includes Sant’Elena, Guggenberg, Gegend, Nörderberg, Buchen, Monte Marano, Acqua, Bagno Lad, Bagni di Mezzo and Old Breit.
Foto: AT, © Peer
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Eschenlohe Castle (or Eschenloch), first mentioned in 1164 as Castel d’Ultimo, watches over the entrance to the Val d’Ultimo valley east of Bad Lad.
Foto: AT, © Peer
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In the centre of San Pancrazio is the parish church and the small St. Sebastian Chapel, which reminds of the victims of the plague.
Foto: AT, © Peer
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The San Pancrazio Reservoir, also called Lago di Alborelo, is located on the Val d’Ultimo state road and dams the water of the Valsura river.
Foto: AT, © Peer
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Chestnut trees on the Val d’Ultimo Valley Path: It connects San Pancrazio with Santa Valburga, the main village of the municipality of Ultimo.
Foto: AT, © Peer
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The 24 km long circular trail called Ultner Talweg runs at an altitude of 750 to 1,300 m a.s.l. - thus a quite leisurely, but long tour.
Foto: AT, © Peer
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View on the lower Ultimo Valley with San Pancrazio in the centre: 12 km away is the municipality of Lana, the “Gateway to the South”.
Foto: AT, © Peer
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On the northern side of the valley, high above Eschenlohe Castle, the farm hamlets of Alpreid and Martschein are nestled on the slopes.
Foto: AT, © Peer
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Bagni di Mezzo, here the farms above it, is part of San Pancrazio and was considered one of the most visited health spas in the German region.
Foto: AT, © Peer
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Many famous people visited Bagni di Mezzo, including Otto von Bismarck, Empress Sissi, and Heinrich and Thomas Mann.
Foto: AT, © Peer
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A small cable car takes you from the Ultimo Road to Pavicolo, which already belongs to Lana: From there, paths lead up to the Monte San Vigilio.
Foto: AT, © Peer
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San Pancrazio in winter, the first holiday village on the way into the Val d’Ultimo: The Schwemmalm Skiing Area is a few minutes away by car.
Foto: AT, © Peer
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Various winter hikes and snowshoe tours start around the village and show you the nature of the Val d’Ultimo and Val d’Adige.
Foto: AT, © Peer
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One of them leads from the hamlet of Pavicolo to the Monte San Vigilio, a mountain ridge above Lana that can also be reached by cable car.
Foto: PG, © Peer
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St. Helena above San Pancrazio, the little pilgrimage church in the middle of the woods, is also an interesting destination for a winter hike.
Foto: AT, © Peer
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If you want to walk the Val d’Ultimo Valley Path in winter, we recommend that you plan at least six to seven hours of walking time for it.
Foto: AT, © Peer
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It leads on the sunny side of the valley from San Pancrazio to Santa Valburga (in the picture) and then in a loop on the shady side back again.
Foto: AT, © Peer
video : Cultural highlights in South Tyrol

The Val d'Ultimo road branches off from Lana and winds its way up the slope towards San Pancrazio. The municipality includes all the houses between the hamlet of Gegend, the main village of San Pancrazio and Lake Pancrazio, one of the six reservoirs in the valley. To the left and right of the road, farms stretch along the wooded slopes. Josef Egger, one of Tyrol's most important historians, was born in San Pancrazio.

Today, the small village centre presents itself paved and flanked by two churches. The history of the entire area dates back many centuries and tells of castle lords and priests, of health spas and sanctuaries. A witness of bygone times is Eschenlohe Castle, which is enthroned at the entrance to San Pancrazio: It was already mentioned 800 years ago as Castel d'Ultimo. After the main village of San Pancrazio is the hamlet of Bagni di Mezzo. Today it is just a few old houses surrounded by meadows, but in former times it was one of the most visited health spas in the German region: Illustrious guests such as the painter Franz von Deferegger, the writer Thomas Mann and the European aristocracy came here.

You will also pass by old buildings and farms on the various hikes that start here. These include the Val d'Ultimo Valley Path, a day hike to Santa Valburga, as well as the ascent to the idyllic small St. Helena Church in Sant'Elena, ideal as a summer tour with a picnic afterwards. These paths are also accessible in winter, surrounded by the silence and tranquillity of the Ultimo Valley. Other winter sports - cross-country skiing, skiing in the Schwemmalm Ultimo Ski Area, ice skating and tobogganing - can be found a few km away in the two next villages, Santa Valburga and Pracupola.

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