San Giovanni

Three districts of the municipality of Valle Aurina - San Giovanni, San Pietro and San Giacomo - owe their names to their respective church patron saints. In the case of San Giovanni, it is St. John the Baptist, to whom the church with its red domed tower is dedicated. It is known as one of the most beautiful Baroque churches in South Tyrol and stands near the Weissenbachl Farm. It is also remarkable inside, with an ornate high altar by Franz Schöpf. Today, San Giovanni (St. Johann) is the largest village in the municipality, but the administrative centre is the neighbouring Cadipietra.

Two small museums tell a lot about the valley and the surrounding mountains. One of them is the Oberkofler Museum in the birthplace of the Oberkofler brothers. Joseph Georg Oberkofler is considered an important Tyrolean author of peasant novels, Johann Baptist Oberkofler created many paintings and frescoes. In the hamlet of Costa Molini (Mühlegg), on the other hand, you can admire a magnificent collection of minerals from the area of the High Tauern and the Zillertal Alps. Not far away is the Platter Sawmill, which was restored to be preserved for future generations.

A geological feature and popular destination is the Rio Rosso Waterfall with its marble troughs above San Giovanni. One of the Valle Aurina Sun Paths, the Witches' Path, leads you past it and further up to the Bizat Hut, a place for families with a playground and a pond. In winter, skiing on the neighbouring Klausberg Skiing Area and sledging are the order of the day. There are two toboggan runs for this, one of them is the cosy route at the Schwarzbach Mountain Hut.