The wooded Monte Ganda above the settlement of Ganda on the border to Caldaro is very popular among hikers and mountain bikers
Image gallery: Ganda di Appiano
There, where the Oltradige area transitions from Appiano into its second half, Caldaro, are the houses of Ganda. The hill above it also bears the same name: Monte Ganda. The debris cones at its foot are the scene of a special natural phenomenon that attracts numerous hikers in summer: the famous Ice Holes. Air flows in from the top through the quartz porphyry layers of the boulders, cools down and leaves the rocks at the bottom as a stream of cool air. In this place, in the middle of an otherwise Mediterranean climate, unique high alpine vegetation grows.
Traces of early human settlement have been found in Ganda. The area on the South Tyrolean Wine Road was already appreciated by the Romans, who cultivated vines here. However, the first traces of settlement, such as pottery shards found in the municipal area of Appiano, go back much further, to 5000 BC. There are no historic buildings in Ganda itself: The magnificent Ganda Castle already stands in Pigeno, which belongs to San Michele. The first residential buildings were built in Ganda di Sotto (Untere Gand) from the 1950s, followed by Ganda di Sopra (Obere Gand).
The location is ideal for excursions on foot or by bike. The Caldaro district of Pianizza di Sopra borders on Ganda (Gand), above which rises Mt. Ganda with its shady forests. Boulders are scattered all over the area. From here, you can also reach the Mendola Pass and Mt. Macaion by mountain bike: Bend after bend, you climb the famous pass road up to 1,362 m a.s.l., which shows you beautiful Lake Caldaro and the whole Oltradige area from a unique perspective.
