The Malles Heath, the Tarces Hill, and the venerable Monte Maria Monastery are located in South Tyrol’s second-largest municipality
Image gallery: Malles Venosta
In the Upper Val Venosta, where the wind sweeps across the expanses of the Malles Heath and the road climbs towards Lake Resia, the sunny municipality of Malles with its numerous villages extends. It is a market town, in whose centre five towers still stand tall today. There were once seven, two of which were destroyed during the Napoleonic Wars.
The rocky "Tartscher Bichl" hill near Tarces, as it is called in dialect, where an antler point and a Celtic sword were discovered, tells of even older times. Today, it is a popular local recreation area featuring the charming St. Vitus' Chapel.
The cultural region of Malles extends from the valley floor on both sides into its side valleys, such as the Val di Mazia, the Valle di Slingia, and the Val Piavenna. The slopes then rise steeply: The municipal territory reaches far into the Oetztal Alps and the Senales Ridge, where the municipality's highest points, Mt. Palla Bianca and the Cima della Sorgente di Dentro - both well over 3,500 metres high - are located. Also belonging to Malles are small hamlets like Clusio, Planol, Ultimo, Aslago, and Laudes at the turning towards the Val Monastero and Switzerland.
These features make Malles so extensive and interesting, if you are interested in culture and nature. For public transport, the village is an important hub, with bus connections to Switzerland and North Tyrol in Austria, and as the terminus of the Val Venosta Railway. In the warmer months, the Oberwaalweg path is particularly suitable for hikes and walks, but the mountain scenery around Clusio and the "Mountaineering Village" of Mazia will also delight nature lovers.
The attractive village centres of Malles's villages, the castles, and the dazzling white Benedictine Abbey of Monte Maria above Burgusio testify to the long history of settlement and the cultural heritage of the region along the Via Claudia Augusta. On Mt. Watles, where in summer the Adventure Lake can be found high above Malles, the Watles Skiing Area extends in winter. In the Valle di Slingia valley, cross-country skiers will also find a Nordic skiing centre.
