A sunny plateau above Bolzano: hiking, exploring, and enjoying an award-winning “child-friendly municipality”
High above Bolzano, nestled between Soprabolzano and the Corno del Renon skiing and hiking area, lies the municipality of Renon. The Sarentino Alps provide a stunning backdrop to this unique high plateau. The Renon Cable Car whisks you up to Soprabolzano in mere minutes. Here, you leave behind the hustle and bustle of Bolzano, with its museums and shops, and enter a world of hiking trails, verdant meadows, and charming villages. Renon boasts several special places, often closely intertwined with nature, such as the imposing Earth Pyramids or the Beekeeping Museum at the Plattner Farm.
Whether you fancy horse riding, swimming, llama trekking, archery, cycling, tobogganing, ice skating, or skiing, you'll find the perfect activity here. Renon encompasses 14 hamlets and villages. Travelling along the Renon Road, you first encounter Auna di Sotto. Further uphill, you reach Collalbo, home to the Ritten Arena, a popular ice stadium and event venue. From here, the road branches out: left to Auna di Sopra and Vanga, straight ahead to the Corno del Renon Cable Car, and right to Longomoso and Longostagno. Interestingly, the municipality of Renon, which covers the entire high plateau, stretches down into the valley.
At the entrance to the Val Sarentino, where the locality of Castel Novale, known as "die Sill", with the eponymous ice rink is located, the territory of Renon begins. On the opposite side, towards the Valle Isarco, Campodazzo still belongs to the municipality. Many of the places on the high plateau itself are connected by the historic Renon Railway, a charming narrow-gauge railway.
Summers on the Renon are pleasantly warm and significantly clearer than in the Bolzano basin - a characteristic appreciated by famous guests such as Sigmund Freud. As early as the 17th century, wealthy citizens of Bolzano discovered the high plateau as an ideal summer retreat. Today, many families also enjoy the expansive landscape and natural beauty.
In the final weeks before the onset of winter, as the Corno del Renon beckons skiers, Renon fully embraces the Toerggele tradition. The Chestnut Trail, called "Keschtnweg" by locals, traverses the high plateau, offering a scenic panoramic hike best rounded off with roasted chestnuts.
