Probably the most remote, smallest and even highest village on the Renon High Plateau is called Madonnina, or Gissmann in German
The highest of the many districts that form the municipality of Renon between Campodazzo in the Valle Isarco valley and the outskirts of Bolzano is called Madonnina. The village is also located on the sunny Renon Plateau, but here at an impressive altitude of 1,600 metres above sea level. Below the local mountain, the Colle della Madonnina (Gissmanner Nock), there are a few farms as well as the little Visitation of Mary Church. The summer retreat begins right on the doorstep.
Madonnina with its Buschenschänken, the traditional farm inns, is a popular destination among hikers and mountain bikers. An alpine hike follows the Hay Trail on Mt. Corno del Renon to the hamlet. But the village can also be reached without a mountain hike: From the valley station of the cable car in Pemmern, the starting point for skiers and snowboarders in winter, a narrow road leads to the Rosswagen. This 1,702 m high saddle is a protected area with valuable biotopes such as the Rosswagen Moor and the Schussmoos. Afterwards, it takes about an hour to Madonnina.
By the way, the hikes are doable at any time of the year: A refreshing drink and a delicious South Tyrolean Marende under the sun are as good a reward for the tour as a warm soup in the heated dining rooms in winter. In summer and autumn, the Madonnina-Rosswagen-Pemmern hiking bus, called "Wanderbus Gissmann", also runs this route by reservation.
