A small church with a wooden tower and a working sawmill stand on the sunny slopes of the Gruppo di Tessa Nature Park
Image gallery: Vernurio
This area, home to a few farms and the Church of St. Nepomuk, sits just over 1,000 metres above sea level. The mountain road starts on the valley floor at the bus stop "Rifiano bivio Vernurio". It takes you up the slope to the church and continues past several farms to the Öbersthöfe farmsteads. These include the Unteröberst and Oberöberst inns. Because of this layout, the village is divided into Vernurio di Sotto (Lower Vernurio) e Vernurio di Sopra (Upper Vernurio).
The charming little church with its wooden tower dates back to 1743 AD. It is dedicated to John of Nepomuk, the patron saint of bridges and the seal of the confessional. Another notable structure is the Venetian sawmill at the Brunner farm, which has been faithfully restored. For centuries, it served as a communal sawmill for the farmers of Vernurio (Vernuer).
A road has only connected Vernurio to the main route through Val Passiria since the late 1970s. The highest farms sit at an altitude of 1,400 metres. The area provides views stretching from Scena down into the Adige Valley, furthermore, you can see the peaks of Picco Ivigna, Punta Cervina, and other summits of the Sarentino Alps. These open vistas eventually drew walkers to the hamlet.
During the hiking season, a shuttle service operates periodically between Vernurio, Rifiano, Caines and Tirolo village. You can walk the Merano High Route on a day stage through the Val Passiria to Vernurio. This route provides wide views of the Punta Cervina area. The hike to the Obisell Hut through the alpine pastures of the Gruppo di Tessa Nature Park also starts in Vernurio.
