Vines, which have existed here since ancient times, grow around the listed farms of Pianizza di Sopra
Image gallery: Pianizza di Sopra
Where Monte Ganda with its natural phenomenon [ice Holes rises, the Appiano district of Ganda (Gand) merges into Pianizza di Sopra (Oberplanitzing, in German), a district of Caldaro. Here you are already on the legendary Mendola Road, which winds its way up bend by bend to the pass that marks the border with Trentino. Convertible and motorbike drivers love this panoramic road with views over Lake Caldaro, and so do cyclists who compete here in the Südtirol.Berg.Cup.
In former times, Pianizza di Sopra was called ‘Planties superior’, meaning ‘upper flat slope terrace’, an ancient wine-growing area where monasteries such as Tegernsee, the largest in Bavarian history, and Wilten already cultivated their grapes. Hiking paths lead through the landscape on the slopes of the Mendola and through the vines down into the valley basin. One of them is the Caldaro Wine Trail, which takes you through the picturesque alleyways of Caldaro and the vineyards to Lake Caldaro.
The centre of Pianizza di Sopra is its Church of St. John the Baptist, a late Gothic building that dates back to the 16th century in its current form. At the northern end of the village are the remains of a late Gothic tower: it is the St George's Tower, where St George's Church once stood. It was already mentioned in documents around 1237, but Emperor Joseph II had it closed and it fell into decay. Today there is a riding centre below the tower.
