The Brandis water channel was built in 1835 when the Count of Brandis wanted to secure the irrigation of his estates. Today, you can find a pleasant walking path here that runs along the Monte Croce hill. The starting point for our spring walk is the junction of the Via Palade road and the pedestrian area Am Gries in Lana di Sopra. After walking about 500 metres along the Via Palade, the Brandis Waalweg path - or simply Brandis-Waalweg - branches off to the left.

We continue along path no. 10 between orchards and vineyards, partly through deciduous forest, past the beautiful Lanegg monastery complex. The Brandis Waalweg path has two special features: The Waal itself, the small stream that irrigates the fields, is not visible as it runs in a pipe beneath the path. Furthermore, unlike other Waalwege paths, this one is pleasantly wide and therefore suitable for pushchairs and wheelchairs.

The sweeping view covers the different districts of Lana. As we pass St. Margareth's Church, a Romanesque gem, we approach Lana di Sotto. There is plenty of time for a detour into the village, past the South Tyrolean Fruit Growing Museum to the parish church of Lana di Sotto, famous for its Schnatterpeck Altar. Both the museum and the altar are well worth a visit.

With a view of the Brandis ruin, once the ancestral seat of the Counts of Brandis, and the Lana Golf Club on the grounds of the Brandis estate, we head into the valley, where you can see the Rio Brandis stream and its waterfall. Because the entire path is no longer than about three kilometres, we walk back along the same route - the apple blossom in April is simply too beautiful to miss!

---

Author: AT

Experienced: April 2011
Last updated: 2026

---