Intensely flavoured mountain strawberries grow in the Val Martello: You can enjoy them fresh at the Strawberry Festival
The Val Martello extends from the valley entrance near Laces to Lake Gioveretto and onwards to the peaks of the Ortles Alps, such as the mighty Monte Cevedale. This unspoilt valley is a place that invites you to relax and enjoy delightful hikes.
Here, you are right in the heart of the Stelvio National Park, which encompasses all alpine climate zones. Ibex, chamois, and marmots, as well as mountain hares and bearded vultures, live in these high alpine regions. Popular starting points and rest stops in the realm of the three-thousanders include the Genziana, Livi, Martello, and Nino Corsi Mountain Huts.
If you prefer lower altitudes, you can experience Martello on the valley trails or walk around Lake Gioveretto, in whose turquoise-blue waters the glaciers are reflected. There, the Plima Gorge Trail awaits you - a family hike suitable for all ages, offering viewpoints of the gorge and a suspension bridge. It takes you to the Nino Corsi Mountain Hut at more than 2,000 metres.
The lake is situated at the far end of the valley. Further down the valley are other small villages such as the main village of Meiern, Ganda with its riding stable, Montesole and Waldberg, Transacqua with the Trattla leisure centre, and Val d'Enne. Martello is also known for its successful economic model: the cultivation of tasty strawberries from the Martello Valley. Thanks to the late harvest season, the small cooperative supplies these intensely flavoured mountain strawberries fresh to the market long after the European harvest season for the sweet fruits has ended.
These fruits are celebrated at the Val Martello Strawberry Days - including tastings and the crowning of the Strawberry Queen. In recent years, the range has been expanded to include other wild fruits and berries. And in the cold season? Then Martello is covered in deep snow and is known among winter sports enthusiasts for its Nordic Ski and Biathlon Centre.
