The Piavenna Residence, around which the hamlet has developed, is the highest situated noble residence in the Alps that is still inhabited
Image gallery: Piavenna
Piavenna completes the list of enchanting side valleys of the municipality of Malles Venosta: The small settlement lies in the valley of the same name at about 1,720 m a.s.l., the road up here branches off at Alsago on the Malles Heath. The Val Piavenna valley then continues into the mountains via the Piavenna Mountain Hut all the way to Mt. Mittereck, a peak in the Oetztal Alps. The mountain slopes are called "Plawennen", the village itself lies in the lower part of the valley.
The mountain village has developed around the Piavenna Residence, which has belonged to the Lords of Piavenna (Plawenn) since it was built in the 12th century. It is still inhabited and is widely known as the highest inhabited noble residence in the Alps. Once it was just a massive residential tower, which was then adorned with swallowtail battlements and corner turrets over the course of time. Today it is also the seat of the cultural association "Club of Mult - arcus raetiae", which is dedicated to cultural cooperation in the border triangle of Italy-Switzerland-Austria.
From the hamlet with its just 15 buildings, hiking paths take you into high alpine worlds, all the way to the Vallelunga, a side valley near the Resia Pass. Another tour in the Val Piavenna valley reaches the summit of Mt. Mittereck. In winter, Piavenna has its own natural sledge run, which leads from here to the fishermen's houses of San Valentino alla Muta. Seen from above, this village is just below Piavenna, so it's a 10-minute drive by car - or an adventure on one of the toboggan runs in the Val Venosta. The sledge run stretches several kilometres down into the valley.
