Burkhard Gorge in Ridanna

The Burkhard or Burghard Gorge in Masseria, situated at the head of the beautiful Ridanna Valley, was already laid out as a carrier trail at the turn of the century. Records report from 1899, when the path was inaugurated and continued to Aglsboden in the following years.

This path was in use until after WWI, then both the path and this impressive natural monument fell into oblivion for decades. A few years ago, the Burkhard Gorge - "Burkhardklamm" in German, "Gola Burkhard" in Italian - was rediscovered and, to the delight of visitors, the Panorama Path no. 9 was created, which partly follows the course of the old trail. Bridges lead past the plunging masses of water of the Rio Ferner stream, with the giants of the Stubai Alps rising all around. From the South Tyrol Museum of Mining in Ridanna, the Burkhard Gorge can be reached on foot in about 45 minutes, the trail ends after a total of two hours at the dam wall at Aglsboden.

If you want to continue hiking, after a short while you will pass the Aglsboden Mountain Pasture (1,700 m a.s.l.) and then the Vedretta Piana Mountain Hut (2,254 m a.s.l.). And if you want to hike even further, the Biasi al Bicchiere Mountain Hut awaits you at an altitude of 3,195 m a.s.l., the highest refuge in South Tyrol. A curiosity: Did you know that the "Tyrolean Giantess" also comes from the Ridanna Valley? With her height of between 2.20 and 2.40 m, Maria Fassnauer from the Staudnerhof farm performed in various variety shows throughout Europe at the beginning of the 20th century. She died at the age of only 38. Old photographs still tell of her today.