The sunny village has always been an attraction for illustrious guests: The tasty sweet chestnuts of Barbiano also grow here
In the southern Isarco Valley, Barbiano stretches from the valley floor up the slope to the local mountain Corno del Renon, a well-known skiing and hiking area. At the bottom are the houses of the district of Colma, once the starting point of the old Emperor's Road. Afterwards the hamlet of Sant'Ingenuino and Barbiano village follow, the latter known everywhere for its leaning church tower. And it really does lean to one side and seems to imitate the Tower of Pisa. Then comes Tre Chiese, a spring sanctuary with three churches built side by side.
Numerous emperors and their retinues chose the former "Kaiserweg" (Emperor's Road), which led over the Renon to Bolzano - at that time still by necessity due tu the fact, that the Isarco Gorge near Barbiano was impassable at that time. But soon the gentle climate here also attracted famous guests. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe passed by here on his journey to Italy. Christian Morgenstern holidayed in Tre Chiese and found the love of his life there, Margarete Gosebruch von Lichtenstern. And Sigmund Freud wrote about his Easter walk to this historic hiking destination in 1905: "It was a delightful solitude, mountain, forest, flowers, water, castles, monasteries and no people".
Today, relaxation and recreation are the order of the day in this idyllic village. Visitors and residents are attracted to the high alp of Barbiano and Mt. Corno del Renon. Both offer enough space for activity and variety. Tre Chiese, which can only be reached on foot, and the Barbiano Waterfalls are also known as oases of tranquillity - the paths are appropriately called Waterfall Trail and Chestnut Trail. The delicious sweet chestnuts from Barbiano can be tasted, we recommend a Toerggele evening in one of the traditional wine taverns or farm inns, called "Buschenschänke".
