Old Hospice in Laghetti

In the Middle Ages, thousands of pilgrims travelled from the North through the Valle dell'Adige towards Rome. The route was arduous at that time, most of them were on foot and crossed the often swampy landscape of the valley basin in day-long marches: One of them led from Bolzano to Laghetti. And it was exactly there, at the foot of Mt. Madrutta, that the Hospice of St. Florian in Laghetti (Hospiz von St. Florian in Laag) was built, where the pilgrims could stay overnight.

Then it was another day's walk to Trento... The Romanesque building was built around 1220 and extended around 1300. Today it is one of the few completely preserved hospices throughout Europe. It was abandoned as a pilgrims' shelter in the 14th century when the market was established in Egna (Neumarkt): The pilgrims now found accommodation in the increasingly frequent inns. In 1494, however, it still accommodated a famous guest: Albrecht Dürer stayed here overnight on his journey to Venice. Today, the Dürer Path starts at the Klösterle and leads to the earth pyramids in the Val di Cembra valley in the Trentino.

In 2009 and 2010, the building was renovated, and in the years that followed, various parts of the building were completed and the inner courtyard was redesigned. Concerts and performances are held there in summer, and the "Klösterle" has been transformed from a place of pilgrimage to a place of culture and music. Right next to it, by the way, is the little St. Florian Church, one of the most important Romanesque buildings in the Bassa Atesina. And how to reach the old hospice? It is a little off the road in St. Florian near Laghetti. The bus line Egna - Salorno also stops there. By foot, the spring hike from Laghetti to Pochi allows to make a stop at the Old Hospice.