Sacred Three Fountains red deer enclosure

On the road to the Passo dello Stelvio mountain pass, near Trafoi all'Ortles, there are the beautiful Sacred Three Fountains - "Hl. Drei Brunnen" in German, "Tre Fontane Sacre" in Italian -, a pilgrimage site with a long history and an interesting legend. The chapel with the three fountains is located near the Rio Madriccio brook in the heart of the spectacular Stelvio National Park. And right here, in 2006 a red deer game reserve was inaugurated, so if you are lucky and a patient observer, you can see these majestic animals in their natural habitat.

Red deer are considered to be rather shy and in our civilisation they transformed from a diurnal into a more nocturnal animal. For this reason, it is rather hard to get to see these animals during the day, above all on hot summer days with people around. Chamois and red deer live in large numbers also in the Stelvio National Park.

There's also a second red deer enclosure, "Fragges", which can be found just a few km away in Stelvio. It is named after the hamlet of Fragges, which is - just as Trafoi - part of the municipal area of Stelvio. A beautiful 2-hour hike starts directly at the game reserve and leads up to the Forcola Mountain Hut at 2,153 m a.s.l. And how to reach the red deer enclosures? A road takes you to shortly before the Sacred Three Fountains, parking is available. From there, it's only a short walk to the chapel or the game reserve. Also Fragges can be reached on an asphalted road.