From the panoramic village of Predonico, the view stretches from the Merano area to the Dolomites
Image gallery: Autumn hike to the Lipp Tavern in Predonico
Riva di Sotto, the small village in the Oltradige area between Andriano and San Paolo Appiano, is the starting point for our autumn hike. In October, the deciduous forests in the Appiano castle region are already vibrant with colour and, as the region's name suggests, we will also pass a few castles. From the fire station, we follow path no. 12A, which leads us uphill through apple orchards before continuing up through the deciduous forest to Castel d'Appiano.
Appiano Castle (Burg Hocheppan) is a formidable defensive castle from the 12th century and the highlight of the so-called "Three Castles Walk". Along with its tavern, it is open every year from April to the beginning of November. The Romanesque frescoes in the castle chapel are particularly famous, one of which depicts a woman eating dumplings. We don't stop for refreshments today, but instead follow path no. 12 towards Predonico. Our four-legged friend is with us.
The view of the Valle dell'Adige below opens up time and again. There are also some interesting spots along the way: the Wolf Pit is exactly what its name suggests. Inside the fenced area is an old wolf trap - until 1865, anyone who caught a wolf received a reward of several crowns. Next are the Ice Holes: We marvel at the rocks from which a constant stream of cold air escapes. It must be a magical place in the height of summer! About 10 minutes from the mountain village of Predonico, we reach the destination of our hike: the Lipp Tavern (Gasthof Lipp).
From here, we can see the Adige Valley from Merano to Bolzano, and enjoy the mountain scenery from the Texel Group and the Sarentino Alps all the way to the Dolomites. We take a break in the autumn sun before heading back. Instead of returning the way we came, we follow the 2A markers. This path leads steeply downhill and, by connecting to paths no. 2 and 12A, brings us back to Riva di Sotto (Unterrain) and our starting point at the fire station of the village.
Author: SM
Experienced in: October 2025
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- Starting point:
- fire station in Riva di Sotto, Appiano (246 m a.s.l.)
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- Overall time:
- 03:00 h
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- Total route length:
- 9,0 km
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- Altitude:
- from 246 m to 846 m
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- Altitude difference (uphill | downhill):
- +647 m | -647 m
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- Signposts:
- 12A, 12, "Gasthof Lipp", 2A, 2, 12A
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- Destination:
- Lipp Tavern in Predonico, Appiano (846 m a.s.l.)
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- Resting points:
- castle tavern of Castel d'Appiano, Wieser Tavern, Lipp Tavern, Hubertuskeller
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- Recommended time of year:
- Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
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- Download GPX track:
- Autumn hike to the Lipp Tavern in Predonico
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- More information:
- The overall time shown above refers to the walking time only, not including breaks.
If you want to undertake this hike, we recommend you to check the weather and trail conditions in advance and on site before setting out.
