Castel Sant'Antonio

A beautiful run on an excellent engineered road. Leave Bolzano by way of Via Castel Roncolo and Via Beato Arrigo; then past Castel Sant'Antonio (on left: road to San Genesio cableway), and below Castel Roncolo (on right) over the Talvera to join the road which comes in from Gries on the left. Continue north on this road, passing on the right a covered wooden bridge carrying an old road over the river, and beyond this, in the valley, the old moated Castel Novale (Schloss Ried); then up the Val Sarantina (Sarntal), which narrows in places into a gorge between sheer walls of porphyry, with 24 tunnels. The road passes the extensive ruins of Castel Sarentino (Schloss Rafenstein; 16th century; 692m/2284ft) on the left and Castel Vanga (Schloss Wangen) on the right. Soon afterwards Monte San Giovanni, a massive porphyry crag 230m/759ft high, with the old church of San Giovanni, can be seen ahead. 10km/6mi: Locanda alla Posta (Gasthaus zur Post Halbweg). The road continues up the valley, which here widens out. 5km/3mi: Ponticino (Bundschen-Dick; 923m/3046ft) with houses built for workers in the hydro-electric power station. 1km/0.75mi farther on, on the right, is the Pino inn (Gasthaus Fichte), and soon afterwards lower down on the left the little spa of Bagni di Serga (Bad Schörgau: chalybeate water).