Tiso Mineral Museum

Back in the 1970s, the tourist office in Tiso held a fortnightly mineral exhibition every few weeks. After the local mineral collector Paul Fischnaller donated his extensive collection to the municipality in the 1990s, parts of it were displayed in various locations. Finally, in September 1999, the barrier-free Tiso Mineral Museum (Mineralienmuseum Teis) opened on the ground floor of the community centre - framed by the impressive peaks of the Odle Group.

And it's quite a collection! All the minerals were found by Fischnaller himself, including the remarkable "Spheres of Tiso". These spheres, measuring up to 20 cm in diameter, formed in air pockets within the quartz porphyry. Achat, amethyst, and rock crystals emerged during crystallisation from penetrating saline solutions. The minerals originate not only from Tiso itself and from South Tyrol, but also from other Alpine regions that Fischnaller explored.

These include Switzerland, the Aosta Valley, the area around Mont Blanc, and Idar-Oberstein in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. A small shop and temporary exhibitions, such as "Flying Jewels II", complement the museum. The Tiso Mineral Museum was renovated and expanded in 2020.

How to get there: It's located in the village centre of Tiso, with parking available nearby. Tiso is also easily accessible by public transport, for example, by bus line 340 from Bressanone in the Valle Isarco valley. On foot, the hike from Gudon to Tiso takes about two hours.