The Gruppo di Tessa Nature Park embraces, with its 33,430 hectares, the Central Alps, which extend from Val Senales as far as Val Passiria (Senales and Passiria valleys) and take in also part of the Ötztal and Stubai Alps as well as the ridges of Senales and Gurgler. It is the widest park among those of South Tyrol and offers numerous possibilities of excursions of different length and degree of difficulty, such as guided themed itineraries, like the irrigation channel paths or on the Merano High Mountain Trail that allow you to travel far and wide the park. There are also several shelters, important reference points for hikers.
The corrosive action of repeated thaws and vigorous watercourses rendered the area certainly interesting from a geological viewpoint: the continuous erosion and sedimentation processes turned the spring basins into cirques, rounded the outlines of the valleys and brought to the formation of typical glacial structures.
Among the major attractions of the area there are the Parcines Waterfall, a drop of 97 m fed by Stream Ziel, and numerous Alpine lakes spread almost all over the territory of the park.
Along the slopes, there are several remains of prehistoric settlements: an example of this is represented by the cups and the chapels hollowed out in the rock where the local people, starting from late spring, buried the dead or baptized new-born babies. Equally significant and numerous are the "masi", still inhabited local farms which sometimes rise at an altitude of more than 2,000 m.
It is enough to witness to the transhumance of the flocks to take a jump in the past an relive simple emotions. Moreover, interesting excursions throughout the area allow the visitors to enter a world characterized by extremely "original" flora and fauna species.
Visitor’s centre Gruppo di Tessa
Opening times from 5 May to 30 October 2021
Tuesday to Saturday, 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. Closed on public holidays.
Free admission!
For further information
Via dei Campi 3
39025 Naturno
Tel.: +39 0473 668201
