San Sigismondo

The San Sigismondo Village Path starts at the parish church with its magnificent high altar and then turns into the Butterfly Trail.

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The locality of San Sigismondo in the Val Pusteria valley in winter: The village is called St. Sigmund in German, and “Zimmatn” in local dialect.
Foto: BS, © Peer
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The active offer includes sledging, cross-country skiing, hiking and ski touring in the surroundings as well as skiing on Mt. Plan de Corones.
Foto: BS, © Peer
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View on the lower part of the Val Pusteria, here San Sigismondo, then follows Brunico with its surroundings and then the Upper Val Pusteria.
Foto: AT, © Peer
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San Sigismondo (St. Sigmund) is one of the larger districts of Chienes: The village centre is off the beaten track, with a small side road leading to it.
Foto: BS, © Peer
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The parish church of “Unsere Liebe Frau im Stöckl” is also enthroned there, the starting point for hikes and a true cultural highlight.
Foto: AT, © Peer
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Inside, it shows you one of the oldest and most important winged altars in South Tyrol, on which the “Master of San Sigismondo” was also involved.
Foto: AT, © Peer
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A popular excursion option near San Sigismondo is the Butterfly Trail, an ideal family hike with a stop at the farm tavern called Buschenschank here.
Foto: AT, © Peer
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The path leads to the flowering mountain meadows on the sunny slope, which are popular with butterflies, and to the Gugge Farms here.
Foto: AT, © Peer
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Just outside the village, at the farms of Ilstern, you will find the closed railway station of San Sigismondo and the access to the cycle path.
Foto: AT, © Peer
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The “Pusterbike” cycle path - as the Val Pusteria Cycle Path is called - near San Sigismondo: It runs between Fortezza and San Candido…
Foto: AT, © Peer
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… with connections to the Valle Isarco Cycle Path to Bolzano, the Upper Valle Isarco Cycle Path towards Brennero, and the Valli di Tures and Aurina Cycle Path to the end of the valleys.
Foto: AT, © Peer
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Rural idyll in the village centre of San Sigismondo: In winter, the ski lifts to the Plan de Corones Skiing Area are easily accessible from here.
Foto: BS, © Peer

Close to San Sigismondo:
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West of Chienes another district of the municipality is located, one of the larger ones: It is the village of San Sigismondo (St. Sigmund), which is called "Zimmatn" by the locals. At the entrance to the locality, the historic inn "Zum Treyen" welcomes you before the path leads into the village centre. There you will find the parish church dedicated to "Unsere liebe Frau im Stöckl" (Our Lady in the Wayside Shrine). It is a highlight for culture lovers: The church is one of the most beautiful architectural monuments in South Tyrol, its high altar of the Danube School from 1440 one of the oldest and most important winged altars in South Tyrol. The "Master of San Sigismondo", a well-known painter from the late Gothic period, was involved in its creation.

You can take a leisurely walk to relax on the circular village path, which then - for a slightly longer hike - connects to the San Sigismondo Butterfly Trail. The themed trail follows the sunny slope of the village and also motivates children to go on a journey of discovery on foot. At the Gugge Farms, a legend tells them about the Giants of Casteldarne, who collapsed the nearby Guggen Castle with large stone balls. If you prefer cycling, the Val Pusteria Cycle Path will take you to the shopping opportunities, sights and culinary delights between Fortezza, Brunico and San Candido.

By the way: Campers may already be familiar with San Sigismondo. One of the widely scattered campsites in the "Green Valley", as the Val Pusteria is also called, is located on the banks of the Rienza river. In winter it is not far to the famous Plan de Corones, which is a superlative skiing area with more than 100 km of slopes. It is connected to something even bigger, the Dolomiti Superski ski carousel, and also has two sledge runs and four cross-country ski tracks for a bit of variety.

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