Historic Longomoso Commandery

Already before 1211, there was a hospice on the Renon: This was the location of the Ulrico Pass along the "Emperor's Road" across the Alps. So the site was well chosen, because when the gorge of the Isarco river was impassable, as it often was in the Middle Ages, the route ran over the Renon. Since 1235, this accommodation for travellers and pilgrims was run by the Teutonic Order.

From 1500 onwards, the path through the Isarco Gorge was developed into a passable road, and the route over the Renon lost its importance. In the course of the peasant unrest in 1525, the building was plundered and destroyed. The present building of the Longomoso Commandry (Kommende Lengmoos), a rural branch of the Teutonic Order, dates back to 1650, and presents itself as a massive cube with a pyramid roof. The beautiful stucco ceilings and wallpaper with biblical scenes and episodes from the history of the Teutonic Order are worth seeing on the 1st floor, as well as the magnificent Rider's Stoves from around 1740. On the 2nd floor, on the other hand, are the rooms in which the advisory board of the Longomoso Commandry organises cultural events such as concerts and exhibitions from May to October.

Since 1973, the "Rittner Sommerspiele" summer theatre festival in German language has been held in the idyllic courtyard of the Commandry. And how to reach it? The excursion can be ideally combined with a ride on the Renon Railway: From the railway station of Collalbo, an easy 15-minute walk then leads to the building. There is a small car park in Longomoso, and also the bike tour Renon - Villandro - Chiusa which requires several hours leads past Longomoso.