San Candido
San Candido (Innichen in tedesco) è uno dei paesi più eleganti dell'Alta Pusteria, in Alto Adige, adagiato in una conca ai piedi d...
Ενημερώθηκε στις 17 Ιουλίου 2026
Αυτή τη σεζόν · Ιούλιος · Καλοκαίρι
Τι να κάνεις στο San Candido τώρα
Η ιστορία
Η ιστορία του/της San Candido
The Alta Pusteria village at the foot of the Sexten Dolomites
San Candido occupies a privileged position in the Alta Pusteria (Val Pusteria), the wide valley that opens east of Brunico and Dobbiaco, framed by the northernmost Dolomite peaks in Italy. The village lies in a basin at about 1,175 metres of altitude, sheltered to the south by the rock walls of the Dolomiti di Sesto (Sexten Dolomites), among which stands out the distinctive Meridiana di Sesto (Sexten Sundial), a ridge of peaks that marks the hours like a giant natural clock. To the north, the valley climbs gently towards the state border with Austria, just a few kilometres away, in the direction of East Tyrol. This border position has made San Candido for centuries a crossing point and a place of exchange between the Mediterranean and Germanic worlds, a legacy still reflected today in the culture, language and architecture of the village, suspended between Italian, Tyrolean and Austrian influences.
The Romanesque Collegiate Church of Saints Candidus and Corbinian
The village's symbolic monument is the Collegiate Church of Saints Candidus and Corbinian, one of the best-preserved Romanesque complexes in the entire Alpine arc. Its origins date back to 769, when Bavarian dukes founded a Benedictine abbey here along the ancient route linking the Germanic world to Italy. The current building, constructed mainly in the 13th century, stands out for its sober stone façade, its powerful bell tower and its apse frescoed with an imposing Christ Pantocrator. Inside, carved capitals, a 14th-century wooden crucifix and the crypt are preserved, among the oldest spaces of the whole complex. Next to the church is the cloister, a place of quiet among arches and columns, and the small collegiate museum, which gathers liturgical objects, sculptures and testimonies of the village's long religious history, a spiritual crossroads between Bavaria, Tyrol and Italy.
The pedestrian old town and village life
The heart of San Candido is its historic centre, almost entirely pedestrian, where cars give way to quiet walks beneath the arcades. Along the main street, houses with painted façades follow one another, along with local craft shops, pastry shops and boutiques, in a pleasant contrast with the architectural severity of the nearby Collegiate Church. Pedestrianisation has made the village particularly suited to families and to those seeking a relaxed holiday, without giving up the services of a mature tourist centre. In summer the streets come alive with markets, open-air concerts and events tied to Ladin-Tyrolean culture, while in winter Christmas lights and markets wrap the village in a fairy-tale atmosphere. Around the old core are distributed hotels, family-run guesthouses and restaurants offering South Tyrolean, alpine and Mediterranean cuisine, making San Candido a convenient base for exploring the whole Alta Pusteria.
Skiing at Monte Baranci and hiking in the Sexten Dolomites
San Candido is also an all-round sports destination. In winter the Monte Baranci ski area, known in German as Haunold, offers alpine ski slopes suited to families and intermediate skiers, as well as some of the most renowned cross-country skiing loops in the whole Alpine arc, connected to the Val Pusteria network. In summer the same mountain becomes a starting point for panoramic walks and hikes, while more experienced trekkers head south, to the Val Fiscalina valley, gateway to the Tre Cime Nature Park and the UNESCO World Heritage Dolomiti di Sesto rock walls. From here trails lead to mountain huts at the foot of the Meridiana di Sesto (Sexten Sundial), with views towards the famous Tre Cime di Lavaredo peaks, reachable on multi-day hikes. The combination of accessible skiing and high Dolomite mountains makes San Candido an ideal base for both families and experienced hikers.
The springs of the Drava, the cycle path and the Austrian border
Another distinctive feature of San Candido is hydrographic: here rise the springs of the Drava river, one of the main tributaries of the Danube, which after the village flows through Austria, Slovenia, Croatia and Serbia before joining the great river. The springs, easily reached with a short walk, are a place of great symbolic and natural value for the whole region. San Candido also lies along the historic Val Pusteria cycle path, which climbs the valley from Brunico to Dobbiaco and then continues, beyond the state border, towards Lienz in Austrian East Tyrol: a flat, scenic route much loved by cycle tourists. The proximity to the border also makes the village a practical base for short excursions across the frontier, between East Tyrol and Carinthia, while retaining the character and services of a fully South Tyrolean tourist centre.
Not to be missed
- The Collegiate Church of Saints Candidus and Corbinian, with its crypt, cloister and Christ Pantocrator fresco
- The pedestrian old town with its arcades and painted houses along the main street
- The ski slopes and cross-country loops of the Monte Baranci (Haunold) ski area
- The Val Fiscalina valley and the trails towards the Dolomiti di Sesto rock walls and the Meridiana di Sesto
- The springs of the Drava river and the Val Pusteria cycle path towards Dobbiaco and Lienz
Αξιοθέατα
What to see in San Candido
Routes · Trovido Route
