The pilgrimage church of the Loreto image and one of the oldest inns in the Alps in the spiritual place of Sares, or Saalen
Image gallery: Santa Maria di Sares
The Gschlierhof farm in Sares marks the geographical end of the municipality of San Lorenzo di Sebato and thus the Ladin-German language border. The main attraction of this rural hamlet, however, is its pilgrimage church. A millennium ago, the place was called Salarapach, meaning "Rio di Sares stream". Today, Sares consists of a pond, the pilgrimage church, the historic Saalerwirt inn, and a few mountain farms with names like Gasteiger, Krinner, Winkler, and Obwegiser.
The Saalerwirt is one of the oldest inns in the entire Alpine region. It is the first building you see when you come into the hamlet after the last bend in the country road through forests and meadows. Original Swiss pine panelling from 1730 still adorns its traditional farmhouse parlours. The inn now houses a hotel, and some of the surrounding mountain farms offer farm holidays.
Right next door stands the small 17th-century pilgrimage church, where weddings and the annual pilgrimage procession are celebrated in September. Inside, you can see the wooden Loreto image, which depicts the Black Madonna with the Christ child. It is said to have once been found by a farmer in a field. He took it home, but the image kept returning to the same spot until the small church was built on this site in 1652. It once belonged to a hermitage.
Here in Sares, you will find rural tranquillity and can hike to San Michele Castle, visit the pilgrimage church or walk along the Way of the Cross. Another path leads to the main village of San Lorenzo. In winter, it is about 10 kilometres from here to the lifts to the Plan de Corones Skiing Area with its slopes and toboggan runs. Alternatively, you can go ice skating in San Lorenzo.
