Palm trees, wine, and “Dolce Vita”: Discover Lake Caldaro and the picturesque wine villages of South Tyrol
Image gallery: Caldaro on the Wine Road
The first harbingers of spring are sprouting from the earth, transforming the landscape. Elsewhere, snow still lies and shades of brown dominate, but in Caldaro on the Wine Road, spring arrives a little earlier and more colourful.
In the Spring Valley, a sea of snowdrops blankets the ground at winter's end. From here, a short walk takes you to the shores of Lake Caldaro. A few weeks later, from late spring onwards, water sports enthusiasts conquer the warmest bathing lake in the Alps: Windsurfers, sailors, SUP enthusiasts, and swimmers frolic in the water and at the lakeside lidos. Right on the shore, nestled among reeds and wooden jetties, lies San Giuseppe.
Caldaro's other nine hamlets spread out towards Appiano and from the valley basin up the slope to the Mendola Pass: Pianizza di Sopra and Pianizza di Sotto with their venerable manor houses, the old pilgrimage site of San Nicolò, the tiny Pozzo, Sant'Antonio with its high rope course and the valley station of the Mendola Funicular, Castelvecchio with the Rio Rastenbach Gorge, as well as the main villages of Villa di Mezzo and Caldaro village.
On the Market Square of Caldaro village, you can soak up the Mediterranean atmosphere and discover the high-quality products of the weekly farmers' market. Above the lake, Caldaro's landmark, the half-ruined Castelchiaro, rises majestically. The houses of Campi al Lago, below Castelchiaro, also belong to Caldaro but are situated within the municipality of Vadena on the other side of the mountain. Caldaro is surrounded by vineyards and orchards - its wine was first documented in the 13th century, but the Romans already appreciated the mild climate and cultivated vines here. The world-famous wine, and life itself, are still joyously celebrated today.
Culinary events such as the Caldaro Wine Festival, "Kaltern all in White", and "Kaltern all in Red" alternate with sporting events like the Lake Caldaro Triathlon, and live music at the concerts of the "Lake Stage Performance" and the Caldaro Pop Festival. In autumn, the wineries and the farm taverns invite you to the Toerggele evenings, where you can sample the new wine.
