The Piana di Malles, the historic Tarces Hill and the Monte Maria Monastery are located in South Tyrol’s second-largest municipality
Image gallery: Malles Venosta
In the Upper Val Venosta, where the wind blows across the wide expanses of the Piana di Malles and the road ascends towards Lake Resia, lies the sunny municipality of Malles Venosta with its numerous villages. It is a market town, where five towers still rise in the centre today. Once there were seven, two of them were destroyed in the French Wars. The "Tartscher Bichl" hill near Tarces, where a deer horn point and a Celtic sword were found, tells of even older times. Today it is a popular recreation area with the enchanting St. Vitus Church.
The cultural region of Malles extends from the valley floor to the right and left into its side valleys such as the Val di Mazia, the Valle di Slingia and the Val Piavenna. Then the slopes steeply rise: The municipal area reaches far into the Oetztal Alps and into the Val Senales Ridge, where the highest points of the municipality are located, Mt. Palla Bianca (3,738 m a.s.l.) and Mt. Cima della Sorgente di Dentro (3,516 m a.s.l.). The small hamlets such as Clusio, Planol, Ultimo and Alsago as well as Laudes at the turnoff towards the Val Müstair and Switzerland also belong to the municipality. They make Malles so spacious and charming if you are interested in culture and nature.
For public transport, Malles is an important hub due to the final station of the Val Venosta Railway and the bus connections to Switzerland and Austria. In the warmer season, the Oberwaalweg path is particularly suitable for walks, but the mountain world near Clusio and around Mazia, the "Mountaineering Village", will also delight alpine lovers. The pretty village centres, the castles and the venerable Benedictine Abbey of Monte Maria above Burgusio stand for the cultural wealth of one of the most traditional settlement areas along the Via Claudia Augusta. Where in summer you can find the Adventure Lake high above Malles, in winter the Watles Skiing Area opens its doors. For cross-country skiers, the Slingia Valley offers its own Nordic Cross-Country Skiing Centre.
