Slingia

Where the white Benedictine Abbey of Monte Maria is enthroned on the slope, the road to Slingia (Schlinig) leads into the Valle di Slingia. The eponymous village at the end of the valley is one of the smaller parts of Malles Venosta and used to live mainly from mountain farming in former times. Today, hikers and alpine athletes can be found on the mountain paths between Mt. Sesvenna and Mt. Watles at any time of the year. In Slingia there is a sports shop and a café, a bus stop and a restaurant. In the heart of the village rises the small Church of St. Anthony Abbas and the Christlhof farm, which produces the finest apricot jam as "Confettura Venosta 1760" at 1,760 m a.s.l. Only the primary school was closed years ago due to low enrolment.

The road splits in the middle of the Slingia Valley: To the right is Pramajur, where you will find the valley station of the lifts that take you up to Mt. Watles, the adventure mountain. The local mountain of Malles invites hikers and families to the Watles Adventure Lake in summer, and then becomes a popular ski mountain with wonderful slopes in winter. The Watles Skiing Area also includes the cross-country ski tracks that stretch into the Slingia Valley and form the Slingia Nordic Cross-Country Skiing Centre. It is a competition centre and at the same time the starting point of a magnificent 15 km long cross-country ski track from Slingia to the Slingia Mountain Hut.

The Slingia Valley then stretches further up to the Sesvenna Hut and to the Slingia Pass, an old smuggler's trail. The tour that connects these wonderful spots - Slingia Mountain Hut, Sesvenna Mountain Hut and Slingia Pass - is recommended. From the pass, you can walk into Switzerland to the legendary Uina Gorge in the Engadin, a hike through untouched natural landscapes. By the way: The former Italian cross-country skiers Barbara and Thomas Moriggl are from Slingia.