The “Stoanernen Mandln”, a power place with countless cairns, can be experienced from Valas on a circular path
We have now reached the highest district of San Genesio Atesino: the hamlet of Valas (Flaas), which you can find at about 1,350 m a.s.l. on the Salto High Plateau. Today it is a small holiday resort in the heart of nature in the southern part of the Monzoccolo, but Valas was already inhabited almost a millennium ago. At that time the place was called "Valas", which is now used as the Italian name. The term probably comes from the Romanic "valles", which means valley.
The hiking and mountain bike trails invite you to enjoy the open air. They start in the centre of the village, where the Parish Church of St. Sebastian, the primary school and the volunteer fire brigade are located. There is also a bus stop here: A bus line connects Valas with Bolzano several times a day. The hot months in the valley are true moments of summer retreat at this altitude, with the Salto as a huge outdoor playground for the children. It is the largest larch meadow in Europe, decorated with wooden huts and blond Haflinger horses. A Haflinger Museum along the Via Valas road is dedicated to them. In the middle of the Salten is the Fahrer Pond biotope.
A special hike leads in about five hours from Valas to the "Stoanernen Mandln", the countless cairns, and back again. They are old and of unknown origin, but numerous legends have grown up around them. Were they signposts? Did they serve the shepherds? Did the witches or Celts meet here? The fact is that rock engravings and flint tools found there date back to the Stone Age. Further legends are told on the Legends Trail on the Salto - one story of the area at each station.
