High above Prato alla Drava, the Carnic High Route leads to the Sillian Mountain Hut on the border between Italy and Austria
Image gallery: Prato alla Drava
At about the same altitude as the centre of the municipality of San Candido lies the easternmost village in South Tyrol, Prato alla Drava (Winnebach). It belongs to the municipality. From here it is only a few metres to the border to East Tyrol with its little towns of Sillian and Lienz. This proximity to the border shaped the village when entry and departure were controlled here for decades. Today, Prato alla Drava is a peaceful holiday destination with a quiet centre surrounded by houses.
Here in Prato alla Drava is the small Loreto Chapel, an impressive witness to Baroque popular piety. It was built on the model of the Chapel of Grace in Loreto the Italian province of Ancona and stands a bit apart from the village. On the Way of the Cross you can combine a walk through nature in the Upper Val Pusteria with a visit to this spiritual place. On two wheels, you then cycle along the popular "Pusterbike" cycle track all the way across the green Val Pusteria to Fortezza. In this context, the combination of train and bike is also popular, i.e. the return journey using the Val Pusteria Railway, which stops in San Candido or Versciaco and offers bike transport.
High up in the mountains, the hiking trails on the Carnic Ridge stretch out in summer. One of them, the Carnic High Route, takes you from the mountain station of the Monte Elmo Cable Car to the Sillian Mountain Hut (Sillianer Hütte), where you can enjoy the delicacies of Tyrolean cuisine and the view all the way to the Dolomites. Prato alla Drava in winter promises lots of snow: Either in the 3 Zinnen Dolomites Ski Resort, which is connected to the Dolomiti Superski carousel, or a little further down. Snowshoe tours and cross-country skiing are also popular here.
