Costalovara and its lake are inextricably linked: Above it there is the Plattnerhof farm with the Beekeeping Museum
Image gallery: Costalovara
Swimming and enjoying the sun in summer, ice skating and playing hockey in winter: Lake Costalovara is the centre of attention in Costalovara (Wolfsgruben) on the Renon. Its bathing water quality is excellent, which makes it one of the cleanest freshwater lakes in Italy - the restaurant on the shore provides an ice cream or two. Carp, pike, tench and eels live in the water, which often freezes over in winter due to the alpine location - after all, you are at 1,172 m a.s.l. here.
The little village is scattered on Mt. Renon north of Bolzano between the centre of the village with the St. Joseph Church, a late Baroque building with onion domes, the lake and the line of the Renon Railway. This "Rittner Bahnl" takes you from Soprabolzano to Collalbo and stops in Costalovara, a comfortable and at the same time historic means of transport. In former times it ran as a rack railway directly from the Piazza Walther square in Bolzano up on the Renon, today it is a small red train. During Advent, the stops are transformed into a cosy Christmas Market.
Honey is a big topic in Costalovara: On the edge of the village, the Beekeeping Museum with its large outdoor area shows you numerous tools which are used for making honey. An educational trail is dedicated to the bee, of which there are numerous species. However, what is usually meant is the Western honey bee, which brings back about 20 milligrams of pollen per flight. The 600-year-old farm in the centre of the museum is called Plattnerhof. You will often see this name in South Tyrolean shops, because the blossom and forest honey produced here is also sold.