Ruffré-Mendola
Ruffré-Mendola is a small municipality in Alta Val di Non, in Trentino, which stretches between the village of Ruffré, at about 1,...
Ενημερώθηκε στις 21 Ιουλίου 2026
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Ruffré-Mendola in Alta Val di Non, at Passo della Mendola
The municipality of Ruffré-Mendola occupies a strip of Alta Val di Non, the northernmost part of the Trentino valley, in a territory that rises from the village of Ruffré up to Passo della Mendola, a pass at 1,363 meters that connects Val di Non with Oltradige and the basin of Bolzano. The administrative border with the province of Bolzano runs a short distance from the pass itself, so much so that the municipality borders directly with Caldaro, as well as with Sarnonico and Cavareno on the Trentino side. This pivotal position between two provinces and two cultures, the Trentino and the South Tyrolean, has historically made the territory a place of passage and meeting, first as a carriage road and then as a tourist destination reachable from both sides. The landscape, made up of high-altitude meadows, dense woods, and panoramic ridges, offers on one side a view of the Trentino valleys and on the other that of the wide Adige basin, in a contrast that is among the most appreciated characteristics of this mountain corner.
The Mendola funicular: a masterpiece of engineering
The element that most characterizes the Passo della Mendola, and with it the territory of Ruffré-Mendola, is the Mendola funicular, inaugurated on October 19, 1903 after just fourteen months of work, based on a project by engineer Emil Strub. With its 2,374 meters in length and 854 meters in elevation gain, covered in about twelve minutes with gradients reaching 64%, it is considered one of the longest and steepest funiculars in Europe. The system connects the Sant'Antonio station, near Caldaro, at an altitude of 509 meters, with the upper station on the pass, climbing through tunnels, bridges, and sections carved into the woods, with views of the Oltradige and the lower Val d'Adige. Renovated in 2009 with new cabins and traction systems by Doppelmayr and Leitner, it is today managed by the South Tyrolean company STA. Alongside it, between 1909 and 1934, a narrow-gauge tramway to the valley floor also operated, further proof of how this place was, from the early twentieth century, a strategic hub for mountain tourism mobility.
The historical holiday tourism on the pass
Between the 19th and 20th centuries, the Passo della Mendola became one of the most elegant holiday destinations in the Alps, frequented by European aristocracy and bourgeoisie seeking healthy air and high-altitude panoramas. As early as 1886, the ancient Mendelhof farm was transformed into a hotel with an attached spa, followed in 1896 by the Grand Hotel Penegal, and in a few years the pass was enriched with numerous grand hotels in the Belle Époque style, some still visible today in their architectural layout. Among the illustrious guests who stayed at altitude are Emperor Franz Joseph I, who visited in 1903 for the opening of the funicular, Empress Elisabeth of Austria, known as Sissi, and personalities such as the writer Karl May and, more recently, Mahatma Gandhi. This tradition of elite holidays, made possible precisely by the rapid connection with the funicular, has left a legacy of historic accommodation facilities that, while adapted to modern times, continue to characterize the landscape of the pass, today a destination for more widespread tourism but still linked to the charm of yesteryear's mountains.
The woods, Monte Roen, and cross-country skiing
The territory of Ruffré-Mendola is surrounded by extensive forests of fir, beech, larch, and chestnut, with fauna rich in roe deer, deer, and chamois at high altitudes, which climb up to the Costiera della Mendola, a ridge whose highest point is Monte Roen, at 2,116 meters, a watershed between the provinces of Trento and Bolzano. The summit can be reached by various paths, including the one from Alpe di Romeno, or by a two-seater chairlift which in summer allows you to gain altitude quickly before the last stretch on foot. In winter, the territory becomes a small, scattered ski resort, with alpine ski slopes on Monte Nock, some illuminated for night skiing, and cross-country ski trails through woods and pastures around the pass, appreciated for their tranquility and natural snowfall. The Roen hosts a ski mountaineering race every year in memory of Manuel Calliari.
History, identity, and life of the pass
Until 2005, the municipality was known simply as Ruffré, the small village in the Alta Val di Non whose parish church of Sant'Antonio still marks its center today. In that year, the administration added that of the Mendola to the name, recognizing the now inseparable link between the village and the tourist pass that had marked its development, transforming the municipality into a so-called scattered municipality, with the inhabited center distinct from the pass area. The community, which today has fewer than 400 residents compared to almost 900 in the early decades of the twentieth century, preserves traditions linked to the mountains and the farming world, including nativity scenes in the farmhouses during the Christmas period, and a Ladin-speaking minority registered among the inhabitants. The Passo della Mendola has also entered the history of sport: since 1937 its climb, particularly on the South Tyrolean side which rises from Caldaro for about 15 kilometers with an average gradient of 6.4%, has been a recurring stage of the Giro d'Italia, a chapter of cycling history that still attracts two-wheeled enthusiasts today.
Not to be missed
- Ride the funicular from Caldaro to the Mendola Pass, among the steepest in Europe
- A stroll among the grand historic holiday hotels of the pass
- A hike to Monte Roen, the highest peak of the Costiera della Mendola
- Cross-country ski loops through the woods and pastures around the pass
- Downhill and night skiing on the floodlit slopes of Monte Nock
Αξιοθέατα
What to see in Ruffré-Mendola
Routes · Trovido Route
