Where today Pineta is located, wine used to be cultivated in former times: The public bus takes you to Bolzano in just a few minutes
Image gallery: Pineta di Laives
The houses of Pineta (Steinmannwald) nestle on the slopes below the Monte Stretto. Since the Middle Ages, the area was an estate of the Renner and Steinmann Farms, partly wooded, partly used for viticulture. The present Pineta di Laives only came into being in the 1950s and 60s, when numerous families from the area of the mouth of the Adige near Venice founded a settlement here and called it Pineta, pine forest. The St. Joseph Church with its peculiar tower made of reinforced concrete also dates from this period, reflecting the modern architecture of its time.
The park at the sports zone separates Pineta di Laives from the settlement of Pineta Nuova (or Pineta Monte), which was built on the road to La Costa. Pineta di Laives is where the Carnival association, for which Laives is famous, originated and has its headquarters. The club life in the village also offers cultural events with music and theatre, mainly in Italian.
This district of Laives is also popular because of its proximity to Bolzano. You can reach South Tyrol's provincial capital in just a few minutes by car or bus. Since the construction of the bypass, the village has been relieved of through traffic - the newly designed Via Brennero road with park, pedestrian and cycle path has provided a noticeable upgrading. If you want to explore the area by bike, you can take the mountain bike and ride to Aslago near Bolzano: From there you go to the valley station of the Colle Cable Car and up the mountain to the junction to La Costa. From there, after an almost three-hour bike tour, you return downhill to Pineta di Laives.
