Stelvio

Stelvio is an Italian town in the province of Bolzano, within it it has 7 hamlets and 4 ski resorts. The village of Stelvio rises on a steep slope; the urban architecture, born in the fifteenth century as an asset of miners, make the village unique in its kind also due to its structure on opposite floors. The houses divided from each other by narrow alleys are stacked on various levels. The village of Solda was born in the heart of the Stelvio National Park, at the foot of some of the wonderful peaks of the Eastern Alps. Despite the few inhabitants, the village boasts a large tourist turnout in winter thanks to its splendid snowfalls that allow visitors to admire the landscape and practice various winter sports; in fact, the Ortles massif and the surrounding peaks represent the ideal terrain for nature lovers, countless shelters are scattered among the mountains that can be reached via the paths. The Solda cable car guarantees quick access to the intermediate station and the 'Città di Milano' refuge. Thanks to the high altitude and the microclimate, the slopes of Solda guarantee perfect snow cover and a longer ski season. Particularly striking is the sight of the yuk imported to Solda in 1885; the transhumance of the yuk symbolizes the beginning of summer. In the village of Solda there is the Messner Mountain Museum by the climber Reinhold Messner. Another museum present is the one dedicated to the Ortles and the First World War, which saw the Italian and the Austrian front opposing. The last fraction of the municipality of Stelvio is Trafoi, crossed by the Rio Trafoi and fed by the melting of the western glaciers. In the upper part, there is the museum of the three fountains where it is said that the Madonna appeared there; since then it has been considered a sacred place. The Marian sanctuary was built in 1229, when a shepherd saw three small streams of water gushing out of the rock and with it three crosses.