Scena Castle and the Archduke John of Austria Mausoleum rise on the church hill of Scena, the most central point of the municipality
Seen from above, it is a hill that rises in terraces full of vines to its highest point: the St. Martin Church, the Old Parish Church of the Assumption of Mary and the New Parish Church of Scena. This is the most central point of Scena village (Schenna Dorf), the main village of the municipality. Right next to it is Scena Castle, one of the most important castle complexes in South Tyrol. It was built in 1350 by Petermann of Scena, and later acquired by Archduke John of Austria.
Still today, it is in possession of his descendants, while Archduke John is buried in the unique neo-Gothic funeral chapel built by his son. So nothing stands in the way of a cultural day in Scena: The castle and mausoleum can be visited on a guided tour, and the Old Parish Church shows precious frescoes from around 1400 AD. Incidentally, coin finds between Scena and Verdines indicate that this climatically pleasant area was already settled in prehistoric times and then in Roman times.
According to statistics, there are about 2,200 hours of sunshine a year on these south-west-facing slopes on which Scena extends. It is ideal terrain for hikes and mountain bike tours, for summer days in the panoramic pool and walks along the Waalwege paths that follow the old irrigation channels towards the Val Passiria valley and the spa town of Merano. A special theme trail is the Meadow Path, a pleasant hike in the surroundings of Scena. All around, cable cars, such as the Taser and Merano 2000 Cable Cars, help you to ascend to the high-altitude trails and alpine pasture hikes on Mt. Cervina and in the Gruppo di Tessa Nature Park.
