Picturesque villages such as Certosa, Madonna di Senales and Vernago belong to the Val Senales, where the majestic glacier rises
Image gallery: Val Senales
There, where the Merano region merges into the Val Venosta valley, the Val Senales branches off and stretches to the glaciers at the end of the valley, where Oetzi was on his way thousands of years ago. Apart from the entrance area of the valley, Senales covers the whole of the rest of the valley, the Val di Fosse in the Gruppo di Tessa Nature Park and the surrounding mountain areas, making it one of the largest municipalities in South Tyrol. There you will find the villages of Certosa (townhall), Madonna di Senales (main village), Maso Corto, Monte Santa Caterina and Vernago with its reservoir.
At the head of the Val Senales, which branches off from Naturno and covers the whole municipal area, there is the valley station of the Senales Glacier Cable Cars, taking winter sports enthusiasts in the Alpin Arena Senales, the skiing area on the glacier, where you can ski from autumn to late spring. It includes also two panorama cross-country ski tracks. Those walking on foot may take a look at the world from above from the Iceman Oetzi Peak, the viewing platform at 3,212 m a.s.l.
The memory of the past is kept alive in the valley: At the centuries-old movement of sheep from Madonna di Senales to Vent in Austria in June as well as on the search of Oetzi's traces. The Iceman was found in 1991 on Mt. Similaun in the Oetztal Alps and is now housed in the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology in the old town of Bolzano. The archeoParc Val Senales active museum, an alpine marathon and various events are dedicated to him.
