Reschenpass / Passo di Resia

The landscape of the upper Vinschgau with its mountain panorama, lush alpine meadows, and wonderful fruit and wine cultures makes many a vacationer's heart beat faster. Reschen is located not far from the pass of the same name, which marks the border to Austria or between North and South Tyrol. The Reschenpass is crossed by one of the oldest trade routes in Europe, the Roman Via Claudia Augusta – one of the most important (historical) Alpine crossings!

The Reschenpass or "Reschen" (Passo di Resia) not only crosses the main Alpine ridge, it also marks the watershed between the Danube (Black Sea) and the Adige (Mediterranean). The pass itself, however, is not directly on the border crossing, but is entirely on Italian soil, in Reschen, at an altitude of over 1507 meters. The Alpine road over the Reschenpass was built by Carl von Ghega, who was already responsible for the planning and construction of the famous Semmering Railway – certainly a technical achievement of the time. Today, both sides of the pass are built like federal roads, and cycling is mostly guided on specially designed bike paths, with the 40 km long route characterized by a maximum gradient of 13% uphill and 8% downhill. At the top of the pass, there are plenty of places to stop and souvenir shops. Tip: refueling is cheaper on the Austrian side of the Reschenpass! In addition, there is no toll or winter closure, meaning the Reschenpass is easily passable all year round.

The sensation of the pass and the entire region here is undoubtedly the old church tower in the middle of the blue-green Reschensee, surely one of the most photographed motifs in the world. In the years 1948 to 1950, the lake on the Italian side was artificially dammed for power generation, causing the former villages of Reschen and Graun to be submerged and buried by the water. A remnant of this tragedy is the Romanesque church tower "Sankt Peter" from Graun, which still protrudes from the lake. This fact, however, is not – as many assume – due to its height, but because it was the only building that was not demolished before the flooding. During low water, the church tower stands in a kind of lagoon and can be walked around on foot. The history of the forced expropriation of the inhabitants of two entire villages for purely economic reasons, and the sinking of their entire homeland, gives the present-day village of Reschen a very special atmosphere and should probably serve as a warning to us.