History
Names of the Dolomite Valley
Between Brixen/Bressanone and Klausen/Chiusa, Villnoess/Funes turns to the East. Gufidaun/Gudon and the Summersberg Castle tower over the valley on the summit in front of it. This complex of buildings can be traced back to a rectangular tower built in the year 1270. Other than that, the castle is a good example of what late-medieval courtroom jailhouses looked like – and stirs memories of the trials of the Anabaptists. In Gufidaun/Gudon, one ought to visit the village museum, which exhibits numerous antiquated farm implements. Indeed, this museum is devoted chiefly to relics of the region's popular culture.
The road down in the valley first leads through a deep gorge, and is therefore rather narrow at some spots. Motorists can admire the cliff walls made of porphyry or quartz phyllite as they drive along. Only after reaching St. Peter / San Pietro does the valley open up; it widens, and in the background one can see the white limestone cliffs of the Dolomites: The Aferer Geisler / Odles Deores to the northeast and the Geisler Peaks to the southeast. And there's also the Small and the Large Fermeda, the Mittagsscharte / Forcella di Mezzodi, the Sass Rigais, the Furchetta, or the Kampiller / Campiglio Tower – etc., etc.
St. Peter / San Pietro is the valley's main town. One of the municipal districts is Teis/Tiso – a name which has acquired fame due to the fact that the so-called "Teis Geods" can be found there (mineral formations containing amethyst quartz). Additional municipal districts include the hamlet of Nafen/Nave and the areas of St. Valentin / San Valentino and St. Jakob / San Giacomo. The last larger district is called St. Magdalena / Santa Maddalena.
Villnoess/Funes has become famous throughout the world: This is where Reinhold Messner spent his childhood and youth; here in Villnoess/Funes – actually, Pitzack/Pizzago, where he spent the winters with his family, and the summer months in St. Magdalena / Santa Maddalena with his grandparents or at the Alpine meadow of Gschmagenhardt. It was here that he first learned to climb. The Sass Rigais was the starting-point of a life-long passion for mountain-climbing culminating in the conquest of many of the world's highest summits.
