Traditions and a glimpse of times long gone
The mountain farmsteads on the southern hillside of the Pusteria/Pustertal valley are a remnant of the times when the Romans began to settle in the area. Only a little is left of the ancient baths of Ilistra/Ilstern, to which the locals once flocked in search of the soothing medicinal effect of their spa waters. Not far off, a small chapel has successfully defied the centuries and can easily be reached on a meditation trail. But hiking along Monghezzo/Getzenberg also offers plenty of impressions of the hard life and labor of mountain farmers, and the ancient farmhouses are often named after the dwellers' special dedication: The Vögler farmstead, for example, recalls the old Tyrolean tradition of fowling, or bird-catching.
Half-way up the route at 1112 m, the Jausenstation Hoferhof inn is a fine place for a break and some refreshments. A small, carefully restored chapel is all that is left of a hermitage, which is said to have been located not far from the Getzenbergerhof inn. The Kustoler-Hof farmstead was named after the Romance term for a fortified area, and the Roman milestone on the western edge of the hamlet Casteldarne/Ehrenburg is yet another witness of the ancient settlements in and around Chienes/Kiens.
St. Sigmund, parking at the church.
