Val d’Ultimo

Updated October 2026 · Sources: Merano and environs, Stelvio National Park, Südtirolmobil, Wikipedia

Find a place to stay in the Ultimo Valley

The Val d’Ultimo (Ultental in German) is a side valley in South Tyrol, in the province of Bolzano, northern Italy. It opens near Lana, a few kilometres from Merano, and climbs south-west for about 40 km along the Valsura stream, parallel to the lower Vinschgau. At its head are the Ortler-Cevedale group and the Stelvio National Park.

Four villages sit one after the other along the road: San Pancrazio/St. Pankraz (735 m), Santa Valburga/St. Walburg (1,190 m), San Nicolò/St. Nikolaus (1,256 m) and Santa Gertrude/St. Gertraud (1,501 m). From Merano it is about 26 km to Santa Valburga and 39 km to Santa Gertrude: allow 45 minutes to an hour on the valley road. Bolzano is about 45 km from Santa Valburga. The road ends at Lake Fontana Bianca (Weißbrunnsee), at 1,872 m.

It is a quiet valley, with no big resort hotels and no through traffic over a pass. You come here to hike, for the lakes, the mountain farms and the ancient larches of Santa Gertrude. In winter there is a mid-sized ski area, the Schwemmalm, with about 25 km of slopes up to almost 2,600 m, plus a cross-country trail along the valley floor.

In order from the mouth of the valley to its head, all along the single main road.

San Pancrazio and St. Helena’s chapel

San Pancrazio is the first village, at 735 m, still among meadows and orchards. Above it, on a wooded hill, stands the small church of St. Helena; in summer a hikers’ bus links it with other spots in the valley. Near San Pancrazio was Mitterbad, a spa that in the 19th and early 20th centuries welcomed famous guests including Empress Elisabeth (Sisi), Bismarck and Franz Kafka.

Culten: archaeology in Santa Valburga

The church hill of Santa Valburga was an Iron Age burnt-offering site, one of the most important in the Alps; the area was already settled in the late Bronze Age. The Culten centre in the village tells the story of these early settlements. Ask the tourist office for opening times.

Lake Zoccolo (Zoggler Stausee)

Lake Zoccolo is the largest reservoir in the valley: 1.43 km² at 1,141 m, between Santa Valburga and Pracupola. It was created with the hydroelectric plant built between 1957 and 1963; a few farms were flooded when it filled.

A new lakeside trail runs around it: 7.7 km and almost flat (38 m of ascent), about 2 hours for the full loop, fine with a pushchair. The lake is also popular with anglers (permit required).

The Ultental Farm Trail (Ultner Höfeweg)

The Val d’Ultimo is a valley of scattered mountain farms, many still worked. The best way to see them is the Farm Trail: start at Pracupola by Lake Zoccolo, walk up one side of the valley to San Nicolò and Santa Gertrude, and return along the other side. The full loop is about 18.4 km, graded easy, roughly 5 hours of walking. You can also walk a section and take the bus back.

Along the way you pass the ancient larches and the national park visitor centre in Santa Gertrude. After the storms of October 2018 one section is closed, with a signposted detour: check the trail status before you set off.

The ancient larches of Santa Gertrude

Above Santa Gertrude stand three huge larch trees (Ultner Urlärchen), considered among the oldest conifers in Europe. Their age is debated: local tradition says over 2,000 years, scientific estimates about 850. The trunks are enormous, hollow inside and scarred by lightning.

It is a short, easy walk from Santa Gertrude, fine with children, and the best-known stop on the Farm Trail.

Stelvio National Park and the Lahnersäge visitor centre

The upper valley lies inside the Stelvio National Park. In Santa Gertrude, an old Venetian-style sawmill (the Lahnersäge), where farmers had their timber cut until the 1980s, now houses the park visitor centre: wildlife, forests and valley life. On some days the saw and the mill are run for visitors.

In 2026 the centre opened from May to the end of October and from January to March, 9:30–12:30 and 14:30–17:30, closed on Mondays. For winter 2026/27, check the Stelvio National Park website. There is a public car park next to it.

Valley museum in San Nicolò

In San Nicolò, the small valley museum (Talmuseum) shows farming life of the past. It opens in the afternoon from mid-May to the end of October, on some weekdays only: check with the tourist office.

Lake Fontana Bianca (Weißbrunnsee)

Lake Fontana Bianca is where the road ends, about 5 km beyond Santa Gertrude, at 1,872 m. It is also a hydroelectric reservoir, built in 1957–1959. A path of about 2 km circles the lake, and there is a mountain inn by the water.

The valley’s best hikes start here, to the Canziani hut and the high lakes (see summer). From mid-May to early November a bus runs up from Santa Gertrude, handy because the car park fills early in summer.

Proves and the German-speaking upper Val di Non

Between San Pancrazio and Santa Valburga a road branches south over the Hofmahdjoch into the German-speaking upper Val di Non (Deutschnonsberg): three small German-speaking municipalities that lie in the Val di Non but belong to South Tyrol (Proves, Lauregno and Senale-San Felice). The tunnel linking Proves to the Val d’Ultimo opened in 1998; before that these villages were far more isolated.

Proves lies at 1,420 m and has about 240 residents; its neo-Gothic church of St. Nicholas was built in 1870–1876. It is about 18 km from Santa Valburga. A half-day trip for quiet, meadows and alpine pastures; there is also a bus (line 244).

The valley has two municipalities, San Pancrazio and Ultimo (Santa Valburga, Pracupola, San Nicolò and Santa Gertrude); the entrance belongs to Lana. Here are the villages from bottom to top, and who each one suits.

San Pancrazio / St. Pankraz (735 m)

The lowest village and the closest to Merano (about 18 km). Milder climate, shorter winter, warmer in summer than higher up. Lana and Merano are quick to reach. Best for: staying in the valley while also visiting Merano and the Vinschgau, and spring or autumn trips.

Santa Valburga / St. Walburg (1,190 m) and Pracupola

Santa Valburga is the main village of Ultimo: tourist office, Culten centre, shops. Just above is Lake Zoccolo, then Pracupola/Kuppelwies (1,153 m) with the Schwemmalm gondola. Best for: skiers, families who want the lifts and services close by, travellers using the bus.

San Nicolò / St. Nikolaus (1,256 m)

A small, scattered village on a sunny slope, with the valley museum and the cross-country trail below. It sits halfway between the Pracupola lifts and the head of the valley. Best for: peace and quiet, an apartment or a farm stay, with both the Schwemmalm and high-mountain hikes in reach.

Santa Gertrude / St. Gertraud (1,501 m)

The last and highest village, on the edge of the national park: the ancient larches, the Lahnersäge centre and the road up to Lake Fontana Bianca. Cold and snowy in winter, good for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. Best for: hikers, people after real silence, cross-country and touring skiers. Less convenient if you want to ski the slopes every day or go to Merano often.

The valley’s ski area is the Schwemmalm: about 25 km of slopes, mostly intermediate (red). The gondola starts at Pracupola (about 1,150 m) and the slopes reach about 2,600 m. The longest run to the valley drops about 1,100 m; the steepest section is on the Asmol run. The Schwemmalm is part of the Ortler Skiarena, a group of several South Tyrolean ski areas.

Season 2026/27: 5 December 2026 to 29 March 2027, snow permitting, lifts open daily 8:30–17:00. There is the Val d’Ultimo ski school, equipment hire and, for children, a ski kindergarten and a snow play area near the top station.

Ski pass 2026/27

Schwemmalm day pass: adults €58, young people 15–18 and seniors 65+ €53, children 8–14 €39, under 8 free. Staggered and 4-hour passes are also available. Prices can change: check the lift company’s website or the ticket office at Pracupola before you buy.

Cross-country, tobogganing and snowshoeing

A cross-country trail follows the valley floor from Pracupola to San Nicolò and Santa Gertrude, with gentle climbs and descents: good for beginners, classic and skating. At the Schwemmalm the floodlit Moscha toboggan run drops about 500 m and opens on some evenings. From the car park at Lake Fontana Bianca, snowshoe routes lead to the high lakes: go only in safe conditions with a favourable avalanche bulletin, or with a guide.

Summer is the valley’s main season: from flat lakeside walks to peaks close to 3,000 m.

From Lake Fontana Bianca to the Canziani hut

The classic hike. From the car park at Lake Fontana Bianca (1,872 m), trail 140 climbs to the Canziani hut (Höchster Hütte) at about 2,560 m, on the shore of the Lago Verde (Grünsee): about 680 m of ascent and 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours up. The hut usually opens from June to October and takes cash only.

If you are fit, add the lakes loop: from the hut past the Langsee and back towards Fontana Bianca, about 10–11 km in total, 700 m of ascent and 4 to 4.5 hours of walking. Moderate and high alpine: snow can fall from September.

Around Lake Zoccolo

For an easy day or with small children: the loop around Lake Zoccolo, 7.7 km, about 2 hours, practically flat. Fine with a pushchair, good for running and Nordic walking.

Getting around without a car

With bus lines 245 (to Santa Gertrude), 243 (to Lake Fontana Bianca) and the summer hikers’ bus 247 on Thursdays and Sundays, you can do one-way hikes and ride back.

• Merano: about 26 km from Santa Valburga, with its arcades, thermal baths, the Trauttmansdorff Castle gardens and the Christmas market.
• Lana: at the mouth of the valley, among orchards and vineyards, about 19 km from Santa Valburga.
• Proves and the upper Val di Non: about 18 km from Santa Valburga, for a quiet day among meadows and pastures.
• Stelvio Pass: the most famous hairpin road in the Alps, via the Vinschgau.
• Lake Resia: the church tower rising from the water, in the upper Vinschgau.
• Val di Sole: the Trentino side of the Stelvio National Park, beyond the Val di Non.

Choose your village by what you plan to do.

• Santa Valburga and Pracupola: skiers and families. Schwemmalm a few minutes away, tourist office, shops, frequent buses.
• San Nicolò: quiet mid-valley base, cross-country trail, handy for both the slopes and Santa Gertrude.
• Santa Gertrude: hikers and cross-country skiers. Close to Lake Fontana Bianca and the larches, but further from Merano.
• San Pancrazio: to combine the valley with Merano and Lana, and for off-season stays.
• Without a car: Santa Valburga, for the line 245 stops and services.
• On a budget: apartments and farm stays, all along the valley.

Expect mostly family-run hotels, guesthouses, apartments and working farms that take guests. There are not many beds: book early for August and Christmas.

By car

Take the Brenner motorway (A22) to the Bolzano Sud exit, then the Merano–Bolzano expressway (MeBo) to the Lana exit. From Lana follow signs for the Val d’Ultimo: one valley road, with hairpins at the start. Approximate distances to Santa Valburga: Merano 26 km, Bolzano 45 km, Innsbruck 165 km via the Brenner, Verona 190 km, Munich 305 km, Milan 310 km. In winter carry winter tyres or snow chains.

By train

There is no railway in the valley. The nearest station is Merano: from Bolzano there are trains every 30 minutes on weekdays and hourly on Sundays and holidays, taking about 40 minutes. Bolzano is on the Brenner line, with trains from Verona, Innsbruck and Munich.

By bus

Südtirolmobil line 245 links Merano and Lana with San Pancrazio, Santa Valburga, Pracupola, San Nicolò and Santa Gertrude. Line 244 runs from the Val d’Ultimo to Proves and Lauregno; line 243, from mid-May to early November, from Santa Gertrude to Lake Fontana Bianca. Timetables change with the season: see Südtirolmobil. Many places to stay give you a guest card valid on South Tyrol’s public transport: ask when you book.

By plane

The closest airport is Bolzano, about 45 km from Santa Valburga, with few flights. Better connected: Innsbruck (about 165 km), Verona (about 190 km), Bergamo (about 270 km), Munich and Zurich (about 305 km each). Then hire a car, or take the train to Merano and bus 245.

Parking

At Pracupola you park at the Schwemmalm gondola valley station. In Santa Gertrude there is a public car park at the Lahnersäge visitor centre, handy for the larches. At Lake Fontana Bianca there is a car park at the end of the road, the start for the Canziani hut: on summer days it fills early, so consider bus 243. Parking charges: check on site.

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