The Paul Troger circular walk in Monguelfo shows you the birthplace and famous “Troger Blue” of the Baroque painter
The year is 1698: A sexton and tailor in Monguelfo has a son and names him Paul. At the time, nobody suspected that he would one day become a virtuoso painter. After his training in Cavalese in Trentino, he studied under some of the greatest Italian artists of his time, including Giambattista Piazzetta in Venice, Francesco Solimena in Naples, and Tommaso Conca in Rome.
He later became rector of the famous Vienna Academy of Fine Arts and created significant works in monasteries in Austria, Slovakia and Hungary. When Paul Troger died in Vienna in 1762, the golden age of the Austrian Baroque was also drawing to a close. Today, the circular walk shows you his birthplace and the three works on the high altar of the St. Margaret Parish Church, among others.
It stands in the heart of the village centre at the entrance to the Val Casies - the surrounding alleys are perfect for a stroll and a coffee. At one end of the village is the panoramic outdoor swimming pool, and at the other is the station for the Val Pusteria railway line. The trains also take you to the neighbouring Valdaora, from where the lifts depart for the Plan de Corones hiking and skiing area. The view extends from the village to the imposing Dolomites.
You will probably soon spot a castle: It is the venerable Welsperg Castle, which has watched over Monguelfo - called Welsberg in German - for almost a millennium. The complex is perched on a rocky outcrop that drops steeply on three sides to the Rio di Casies and can be visited in summer. The Castle Path leads directly there from the village centre. For some holiday activity, furthermore there are the Pusterbike Cycle Path, the cross-country ski tracks between Monguelfo and Casies, and the Bad Waldbrunn toboggan run. It offers a special evening of tobogganing by moonlight.
