Ruffré-Mendola
Ruffré-Mendola is a small municipality in the Alta Val di Non, in Trentino, stretching between the village of Ruffré, at around 1,...
Updated 21 July 2026
This season · July · Summer
What to do in Ruffré-Mendola now
The story
The story of Ruffré-Mendola
Ruffré-Mendola in the Alta Val di Non, at the Mendola Pass
The municipality of Ruffré-Mendola occupies a stretch of the Alta Val di Non, the northernmost part of the Trentino valley, in a territory that rises from the village of Ruffré up to the Mendola Pass, a mountain crossing at 1,363 metres linking the Val di Non with the Oltradige and the Bolzano basin. The administrative border with the province of Bolzano runs just a few steps from the pass itself, so much so that the municipality borders directly on Caldaro, as well as on Sarnonico and Cavareno on the Trentino side. This hinge position between two provinces and two cultures, Trentino and South Tyrolean, has historically made the territory a place of passage and encounter, first as a carriage road and later as a tourist destination reachable from both sides. The landscape, made up of high-altitude meadows, dense woods and scenic ridges, offers on one side views over the Trentino valleys and on the other the wide basin of the Adige, a contrast that is among the most appreciated features of this mountain corner.
The Mendola Funicular: an Engineering Masterpiece
The feature that most characterises the Mendola Pass, and with it the territory of Ruffré-Mendola, is the Mendola funicular, opened on 19 October 1903 after just fourteen months of construction, designed by engineer Emil Strub. With its 2,374 metres of length and 854 metres of elevation gain, covered in around twelve minutes with gradients reaching 64%, it is considered one of the longest and steepest funiculars in Europe. The line connects the Sant'Antonio station, near Caldaro, at 509 metres, with the upper station at the pass, climbing through tunnels, bridges and sections cut into the woods, with views over the Oltradige and the lower Adige valley. Renovated in 2009 with new cabins and drive systems by Doppelmayr and Leitner, it is today operated by the South Tyrolean company STA. Alongside it, between 1909 and 1934, a narrow-gauge tramway also ran toward the valley floor, further proof of how, since the early twentieth century, this place has been a strategic hub for mountain tourist mobility.
Historic Holiday Tourism at the Pass
Between the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the Mendola Pass became one of the most elegant holiday destinations in the Alps, frequented by European aristocracy and bourgeoisie in search of clean air and high-altitude views. As early as 1886 the ancient Mendelhof farmhouse was converted into a hotel with an attached spa, followed in 1896 by the Grand Hotel Penegal, and within a few years the pass gained numerous grand Belle Époque hotels, some still visible today in their original architecture. 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 figures such as the writer Karl May and, more recently, Mahatma Gandhi. This tradition of elite holidaymaking, made possible by the fast connection provided by the funicular, has left a legacy of historic hospitality buildings that, though adapted to modern times, continue to define the landscape of the pass, today a destination for more widespread tourism still tied to the charm of the old-style mountain resort.
The Woods, Monte Roen and Cross-Country Skiing
The territory of Ruffré-Mendola is wrapped in extensive woods of fir, beech, larch and chestnut, home to abundant wildlife including roe deer, deer and chamois at higher elevations, climbing up to the Costiera della Mendola, the ridge whose highest point is Monte Roen, at 2,116 metres, a watershed between the provinces of Trento and Bolzano. The summit can be reached via several trails, including one from the Alpe di Romeno, or with a two-seater chairlift that in summer lets hikers gain altitude quickly before the final stretch on foot. In winter the territory turns into a small, spread-out ski area, with downhill slopes on Monte Nock, some floodlit for night skiing, and cross-country ski loops through the woods and pastures around the pass, valued for their quiet and natural snow cover. Monte Roen also hosts an annual ski mountaineering race in memory of Manuel Calliari.
History, Identity and Life at the Pass
Until 2005 the municipality was known simply as Ruffré, the small village of the Alta Val di Non whose parish church of Sant'Antonio still marks its centre today. That year the administration added the name of the Mendola, acknowledging the by then inseparable bond between the village and the tourist pass that had shaped its development, turning the municipality into what is known as a scattered comune, with the main settlement distinct from the pass area. The community, which today counts fewer than 400 residents against the nearly 900 of the early twentieth century, keeps alive traditions linked to the mountains and rural life, including nativity scenes in the farmhouses during the Christmas season, and a Ladin-speaking minority among its inhabitants. The Mendola Pass has also entered sporting history: since 1937 its climb, particularly on the South Tyrolean side rising about 15 kilometres from Caldaro with an average gradient of 6.4%, has been a recurring stage of the Giro d'Italia, a chapter of cycling history that still draws enthusiasts on two wheels 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
To see
What to see in Ruffré-Mendola
Routes · Trovido Route
