The smallest district of the municipality of Brunico, Villa Santa Caterina, is situated in a sunny position below Mount Kofel
Image gallery: Villa Santa Caterina
A few meadows and fields separate the houses of Villa Santa Caterina (Aufhofen) from the villages of Teodone and San Giorgio, which are both reachable in a pleasant walk. If you follow the road coming from Teodone, the houses first stretch up the hill to the right of the road until you reach the centre. Then they are on both sides of the narrow village road. One of them that particularly stands out is the Ansiedl Residence in the middle of a large garden.
On the village square of Villa Santa Caterina, the parish church peeks out from behind a courtyard: It was mentioned in 1360 AD, but not as the year of construction, but as the year in which it was already renovated. The building is therefore one of the oldest in the entire valley basin of Brunico. It seems to have been settled since prehistoric times - a flint blade from the Palaeolithic Age was found in Villa Santa Caterina. Today, the village nestles on the northern slope of the valley basin of Brunico and is known for its hiking and cycling trails that criss-cross the surrounding area.
"Through the fields" you can get from Villa Santa Caterina to San Giorgio, to Gais at the entrance to the Valli di Tures and Aurina, and to the natural climbing garden on the Aufhofner Kofel, one of the climbing gardens of the Val Pusteria. Routes of various degrees of difficulty run through the rock here. When snow covers the village, the ski bus connects it with the Plan de Corones Skiing Area.
