Earth Pyramids and “Stoanerne Mandln” (Stone Men) can be found in the alpine meadows of Meltina on the sunny Monzoccolo
Monzoccolo, Renon, Siusi Alp - South Tyrol's high plateaus and alpine pastures stand for recreation in front of a dreamlike mountain scenery. The spacious municipal area of Meltina is one of the charming places that invite you to enjoy this. It stretches along the Monzoccolo, the mountain ridge between the provincial capital of Bolzano and the spa town of Merano - it is widely known for its larch forests and Haflinger horses. You can reach Meltina from the valley by various means of transport: A cable car connects Vilpiano with Meltina, a panoramic road from Terlano also leads up, and all the villages are additionally connected with the public bus lines.
The area extends from Meltina village to its other districts: Salonetto (Schlaneid), Frassineto (Verschneid) and Vallesina (Versein), are small hamlets in the greenery. The highest elevation in the municipality is the Monte Risco, a popular hiking destination at the border with the Val Sarentino. There you can see the "Small Stone Men", hundreds of stone piles built long time ago. No one knows who piled them up here - the place was probably considered a witch cult site in the Middle Ages, but ancient carving marks on the stones point to the Celts.
In addition, there is another natural phenomenon that is remarkable too, but easier to explain: Meltina has its own Earth Pyramids. These earth columns rise up to 30 metres above the Meltina stream and are protected from rain and storms by their capstone. In between, hikes lead to the crocus blossom at the Giogo di Meltina in spring, along the Tschaufen Theme Trail in summer and to the Möltner Kaser in autumn. During winter, many trails are used by snowshoe hikers.
