Velturno
Velturno (known in German as Feldthurns) is a small municipality in the Valle Isarco / Eisack Valley, in South Tyrol, set on a sun...
Updated 17 July 2026
This season · July · Summer
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The story
The story of Velturno
Velturno, a panoramic terrace in the Valle Isarco
Velturno rises on a sun-drenched terrace of the Valle Isarco / Eisack Valley, tucked between the towns of Chiusa and Bressanone, along the route linking the Brenner Pass to Bolzano. The village sits above the valley floor, surrounded by terraced vineyards, orchards and chestnut woods climbing toward the mountain farmsteads. This position has always given it a mild microclimate and particularly intense light, already appreciated by the prince-bishops of Bressanone, who spent their summers here, away from the affairs of the episcopal city. Today Velturno retains an orderly rural layout, with traditional Tyrolean houses, baroque churches and a compact historic centre gathered around the parish church. Its closeness to Chiusa, with its famous Sabiona convent, and to Bressanone, an episcopal seat and city of art, makes Velturno an excellent base for exploring the Valle Isarco while still enjoying the calm of a hillside village immersed in greenery.
Castel Velturno, the residence of the prince-bishops
Velturno's most important monument is Castel Velturno (Schloss Velthurns), built in the second half of the 16th century for the prince-bishop of Bressanone as a summer residence, away from the Bishop's Palace in the city. The building, with its quadrangular plan and inner courtyard, is regarded as one of the best-preserved Renaissance residences in South Tyrol. Its defining feature is a series of rooms entirely lined with intricately inlaid wood panelling, coffered ceilings and decoration that blends courtly refinement with Tyrolean taste. The interiors are further enriched by fresco cycles depicting mythological, allegorical and landscape scenes, together with coats of arms and symbols of episcopal power. The castle, now open for guided tours, allows visitors to walk through the private and state rooms of the prince-bishops, offering a rare glimpse into the artistic taste and courtly life of the Valle Isarco between the 16th and 17th centuries.
The wines of the Valle Isarco
Velturno's territory lies within the Valle Isarco wine region, one of Italy's northernmost winegrowing areas, best known for its white wines. The steep, sun-exposed terraces surrounding the village grow varieties such as Kerner, Sylvaner, Müller Thurgau, Veltliner and Gewürztraminer, cultivated on poor, well-drained soils that, combined with wide day-night temperature swings, produce fresh, aromatic, mineral-driven wines. Viticulture here is often small-scale, with family-run vineyards and cooperative cellars that showcase individual varieties. Walking among the rows surrounding Velturno, visitors come across wine-growing farmsteads, agritourism farms and tasting points where local wines can be sampled alongside South Tyrolean dishes. The vineyard landscape, together with the chestnut groves and forests at higher elevations, forms an agricultural mosaic that is an integral part of the Valle Isarco's identity.
Chestnuts, the Keschtnweg and Törggelen
Alongside wine, the other great protagonist of Velturno's landscape is the chestnut tree. The chestnut woods covering the slopes around the village form part of the belt crossed by the Keschtnweg, the historic Chestnut Trail linking several municipalities of the Valle Isarco along a signposted hiking route through farmsteads, vineyards and chestnut groves. In autumn, with the chestnut harvest, the Törggelen tradition comes to life, the old farming custom pairing the tasting of new wine (nôss or Törggelewein) with roasted chestnuts, speck, canederli dumplings and sauerkraut, in the stube rooms of farmhouses and country inns. Walking the Keschtnweg near Velturno means immersing oneself in this agricultural calendar, amid the scent of fallen leaves and the smoke of braziers roasting chestnuts, in an experience that ties together landscape, gastronomy and the valley's rural culture.
Views of the Dolomites and hiking
Velturno's panoramic setting offers wide views of the mountains enclosing the Valle Isarco. From the village's higher points and the paths climbing toward the surrounding farmsteads and woods, the view opens onto the Plose massif to the east, and on clear days extends to the spires of the Odle group, among the most photographed peaks of the Dolomites. The local trail network links Velturno to neighbouring villages and to the valley's viewpoints via paths of varying difficulty, suited both to gentle walks among the vineyards and to more demanding hikes at higher altitude. In the shoulder seasons, when the colours of the vineyards and chestnut groves turn, these routes become especially striking. Velturno thus proves an ideal starting point for combining a visit to the castle and an exploration of local food and wine with direct contact with the alpine landscape of the Valle Isarco and the horizon of the Dolomites.
Not to be missed
- Castel Velturno (Schloss Velthurns) with its inlaid wood rooms
- Tasting Valle Isarco white wines at local wine cellars
- The Keschtnweg, the Chestnut Trail, between Velturno and neighbouring villages
- The autumn Törggelen with roasted chestnuts and new wine
- Views of the Plose and the Odle group from the village's panoramic trails
To see
What to see in Velturno
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