One of the idyllic little municipalities in South Tyrol is Plaus, a village with several bacon farms between Merano and the Val Venosta
Image gallery: Plaus
From Merano, the route continues towards Naturno, and before this large municipality comes into view, there is a hamlet on the left. It is the little-known Plaus in the Adige Valley, easily reached from Merano by bus or train. The Rio della Sega, a ditch from a water diversion from the Adige River, flows through the middle of the village. The village fountain under the old knotty maple was recently replaced by a new fountain and a new tree was planted. Today, the holiday village allows you to spend a holiday full of peace and relaxation.
On one side of the ditch are the kindergarten, town hall and church, on the other side towards the banks of the Adige River are inns and the railway station, where the Val Venosta Railway stops. The Church of St. Ulrich with its Gothic nave from the 15th century and the massive Romanesque bell tower has two beautiful Baroque paintings by Simon Ybertracher (1694-1772) inside. But it is better known for its cemetery. There you can see the 18 scenes of the "Plauser Totentanz" (Dance of Death). As it was not possible to completely recreate the old scenes, the Val Venosta artist Luis Stefan Stecher created a special work with drawings and verses in the local dialect, the "Val Venosta World Theatre". Next to it is the new parish church, a simple building dedicated to St. Monica.
Plaus climbs up to the Colle Scabro hill on the Monte Tramontana, where the municipality has its highest point at more than 2,000 m a.s.l. Enough space for excursions and hikes such as the one on the Knights' Path of Naturno. The Val Venosta Cycle Path passes by in the valley basin. Around the village, some sections are protected biotopes, such as the Plaus Pond, the Reasler Au and the Melsbach-Au, which are often used by school classes as excursion destinations. Interesting: The village has several businesses that process the mildly smoked South Tyrolean Speck. You can find it at Schmid Speck and Moser Speck, in the Speck Ladele and the AlpenFein delicatessen shop.
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