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Alpe di Siusi is one of the largest plateaus in Europe, covering 14.000 acres and ranging in height between 6.069 and 7.709 ft. It is also the largest of the Italian facilities used for pasturing.

The plateau can be reached by cable car or via a single road; there are no villages but only tourist facilities and some mountain shelters. In 1974, the Sciliar Nature Park was established there, on a 17.000-acre area encompassing the municipalities of Castelrotto, Fiè allo Sciliar, and Tires, as well as including the Sciliar area with the two undisputed icons of South Tyrol: the peaks of Santner and Euringer.

After many centuries, Alpe di Siusi was eventually transformed into an environment rich in pastures and heath vegetation, thus losing a big portion of its conifers. Today, on the slope facing Siusi, Tires and Fiè, the mountains are covered with mixed coniferous forests, including firs, Scots pines and larches, as well as mixed forests of ashes and birches; on the other hand, Castelvecchio mostly features forests of Norway spruce (Picea abies).

Less common are white firs (Abies alba), birches, ash trees, rowans (Sorbus aucuparia), and Scots pines (Pinus sylvester), but the latter species actually surrounds the shores of the small Fiè lake; at the entrance of the Sciliar gorge, there are pine trees (Pinus cembra), while in woods along the slopes of Mount Cavone are made of European spruces (Picea abies), Scots pines (Pinus sylvester), and European larches (Larix decidua).

In the open humid areas, there are many species of moss, sedge, cottongrass and soft rush, together with bird’s-eye primroses (Primula farinosa) and butterworts; in the pastures and among the rocks, there’s purple saxifrage (Saxifraga oppositifolia subsp. oppositifolia), snowbells, crocuses, Anemonastrum, and, where the grass is not cut, a lot of rhododendron.

Endemic plants include Moretti’s bellflower (Campanula morettiana), tufted Horned Rampions (Physoplexis comosa), Saxifraga squarrosa, Facchini’s saxifrage (Saxifraga facchinii), bear’s ears (Primula auricula), rock jasmine (Androsace hausmannii), and Aquilegia einseleana.
Many herbaceous species include saxifrage, snowbell, anemones and crocuses.
There are also numerous wild animals, such as chamois, golden eagles, woodpeckers and owls.

In winter, the plateau offers over 37 miles of cross-country trails, sledging, and snowshoe walking activities. In summer, visitors can enjoy leisure among woods, meadows and peaks.

There is no shortage of festivals and events such as the “Oswald von Wolkenstein ride”, a festival dedicated to horses, with tournaments and competitions.

This post is also available in: Italiano (Italian)