Like castle, like hamlet: Juval refers to both the mighty fortress and the scattered settlement above the Val Senales
Image gallery: Juval
The small hamlet of Juval, in the municipality of Castelbello-Ciardes at the entrance to the Val Venosta, seems to still belong to Naturno. Even when searching for the place, you will always be directed to its castle, because the mighty fortress is widely known simply as "Juval". People already lived in this sunny spot between the Neolithic and Bronze Ages.
From the valley floor, a small road leads upwards to the slopes of the Monte Sole in the Val Venosta, first to the Unterörtl winery. Then it winds further uphill to the Schlosswirt Juval inn. There, the Archaeological Trail and the Val Senales Waalweg path, also known as Tscharser Schnalswaal, cross the road - a recommended hike along the Val Venosta irrigation channels.
From Juval di Mezzo (Middle Juval), you then reach Juval di Sopra (Upper Juval) at an altitude of 1,300 metres, where a few buildings mark the end of the road on the Monte Sole. The scattered settlement of Juval also ends here. Its centrepiece, Juval Castle, is a medieval castle with a Romanesque core. For a long time, it was the summer residence of Reinhold Messner.
Today, it houses the MMM Juval, one of the Messner Mountain Museums, dedicated to the "Myth of the Mountain". The Tibetan collection, the largest of its kind in the world, can be glimpsed from the statues that welcome you there. There is also a collection of masks from five continents.
