schmetterling silberfleck perlmuttfalter flieder blume
schmetterling silberfleck perlmuttfalter flieder blume

San Sigismondo Butterfly Trail

The popular family hike along the Butterfly Trail in the Val Pusteria valley follows the sunny slope of San Sigismondo near Chienes

A circular hike starts from the beautiful Gothic parish church of San Sigismondo near Chienes and focuses on an equally popular topic: butterflies. And they can be found here in many shapes and colours, because the flowering meadow landscape, through which the 7.5 km long path runs, offers a suitable habitat for the little animals. With almost 160,000 described species, 130 families and 46 superfamilies, they are, by the way, the most species-rich insect order after beetles!

The blue bug, painted lady, large tortoiseshell, red admiral, clouded yellow, brimstone and many other species are attracted to the blossoms and can be observed along the San Sigismondo Butterfly Trail - "Schmetterlingsweg St. Sigmund" in German, "Sentiero delle Farfalle" in Italian. There are also some very special places along the path, such as the giants of Casteldarne, who brought down the Guggenschlösschen castle with huge rocks. At least that is how the legend tells it… Passing the Gugge Farms, the trail finally descends along a forest path to the Schifferegger farm inn and then back to San Sigismondo (approx. 3 hours).

suited for families circular route difficulty: easy
  • Starting point:
    San Sigismondo near Chienes (village centre)
  • Time required:
    02:10 h
  • Track length:
    7,6 km
  • Altitude:
    from 791 m to 1.216 m
  • Altitude difference:
    +454 m | -454 m
  • Signposts:
    Schmetterlingsweg (Butterfly Path - Gugge), 3, 4
  • Resting points:
    Hofschenke Schifferegger
  • Recommended time of year:
    Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
  • Download GPX track:
    San Sigismondo Butterfly Trail

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