Villa Ottone

Villa Ottone and Gais are the largest villages in the municipality of Gais - in addition, there are three mountain hamlets on the slopes above. Also on the slope, at an impressive altitude of 1,500 metres, are the Anewandt farmsteads. The border between the historic domain of Tures in Tyrol and Villa Ottone-Casanova, part of Gorizia, once ran through Villa Ottone, leading the nobles of Villa Ottone to build a castle here in the 11th century, which still stands enthroned above it.

This "Schlössl" (little castle), now a ruin on a rocky ridge, is one of the many castles in the Valle di Tures, alongside Casanova Castle, Chela Castle, and Tures Castle. The parish church of Villa Ottone is no less impressive: Dedicated to St. Margaret, it was built on the site where a lightning strike destroyed the previous church. The altarpiece is by the "Master of Uttenheim": His real name is no longer known, but he created several panel paintings that are also preserved in the Novacella Abbey near Bressanone, and in museums in Innsbruck and Vienna.

The village stretches along the banks of the Aurino and provides many opportunities for activities: In summer, rafting tours on the Aurino are popular. The riverbank is also a valuable habitat for numerous bird and plant species and is protected as the Aurino Floodplain Forest Biotope.

The Pusterbike Cycle Path for the Tures and Aurina Valleys also passes through here, leading either to Campo Tures or - in the other direction - to Brunico and then on to Fortezza or San Candido. In winter, the Plan de Corones, Klausberg, and Speikboden Skiing Areas are quickly accessible - the village itself has a toboggan run that is floodlit in the evenings.