The Valle San Silvestro valley leads from the eponymous village into the Villgratner Mountains, where the cosy Steinberg Hut is located
Image gallery: Valle San Silvestro
Past the parish church of Dobbiaco, a small road winds northwards to Valle San Silvestro (Wahlen) at the entrance to the eponymous valley, which is called Silvestertal in German. There is no sign of hustle and bustle in this jewel in the countryside: Here you are immersed in the nature of the Villgraten Mountains. The village consists of old farms and new buildings spread around the St. Nicholas Church and a primary school for the German language group.
The Villgraten Mountains are a rather unspectacular mountain group without three-thousand-metre peaks, but the alpine pastures with the huts are all the more beautiful. These include the new Steinberg Mountain Hut and the sunny San Silvestro Hut with the chapel. The hikes are also splendid in autumn, when the blueberry bushes on the forest floor change colour. Cyclists can pedal hard and even reach Mt. Cornetto di Confine. Further in the valley are the hamlets of Gandelle, Franadega and Fienili, which can also be reached on foot or by MTB. It is not for nothing that the Südtirol Dolomiti Superbike, the toughest MTB race in the Dolomites, passes by here.
In Valle San Silvestro, the snow often already appears in late autumn and covers the landscape with a white blanket. Horse-drawn sleigh rides at the Altmessner Farm through the beautiful winter landscape are a special experience then. The best way to experience the entire Valle San Silvestro valley in these months is on a snowshoe hike, and ski tours lead from Gandelle to the Bonner Hut on Mt. Corno di Fana, or from the hamlet of Franadega up to Mt. Calvo.
