The little Church of St. Proculus (St. Prokulus Kirche) near Naturno is among the oldest Early Christian churches in South Tyrol. Built between 630 and 650 AD on the site of a Roman dwelling, it was dedicated to Saint Proculus. The church houses what are probably the oldest frescoes preserved in the German-speaking world, as well as some 14th-century Gothic frescoes. Their precise date of origin was long debated by scholars.

Today, the pre-Carolingian frescoes are dated to a period between the 7th and 10th centuries. The most famous motif depicts a man on a swing, presumably Saint Proculus of Bologna himself. Unusual for a Christian church, however, is the depiction of a dog with a herd of cattle. The detached Gothic frescoes from the church can be seen in the nearby Proculus Museum (Prokulus Museum) in Naturno village. It was built underground.

The museum presents 1,500 years of history of the Naturno region. Across four themed rooms, you'll delve into the eras of Late Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and the Early Modern Period. One section of the exhibition deals with the typhus epidemic that ravaged the area in the 17th century, devastating entire regions. To better understand the epidemic's impact, the bones of those who died from the disease and were buried there have been studied.

How to get there: There is a car park between the church and the museum in the Via San Procolo road. Both sights are easily accessible on foot from Naturno village centre. A visit to the St. Proculus Church can also be combined with the circular hike on the Knights' Path of Naturno.