Down in the valley the apple trees are in bloom and the summits of the surrounding mountains are still snow-capped - it's a beautiful period for a hike on the Tesimo-Prissiano high plateau at 600 m a.s.l. We start in the village centre of Tesimo (Tisens) north of the parish church where a parking space and a bus stop can be found. Walking towards east we follow the path no. 1 to the St. Christopher Church.

The small church dating back to the 13th century is located on the edge of the Colli, or Vorbichl forest. We follow the signpost "Filzkunstweg/Sentiero del Feltro" towards south, a Felt Art Trail featuring works by European artists. At the next junction we stay on the path no. 16 leading to the Colli Nature Path (Naturlehrpfad/Sentiero Natura). Past a barrier we reach the Vorbichl recreation area with its lake on the edge of the forest. A perfect place to rest!

Afterwards we follow the partly asphalted road no. 2 towards Prissiano. Past the parking space we branch off on the left towards Katzenzungen Castle (no. 17). The rather adventurous trail proceeds uphill through the bushes and over a bridge - arrived on the top of the rocky hill we walk through Europe's biggest vineyard. Amazing!

Following the signpost "Schlossrundweg/Sentiero dei Castelli" (Castle Round Trail) towards south we cross the road and ascend to Castel Sant'Erasmo (Wehrburg). We continue our walk towards Prissiano, over the old bridge and through the village offering a beautiful view on the Fahlburg castle. Soon afterwards we branch off on the left - finally the Unterer Wiesenweg path leads us through the fruit orchards back to Tesimo.

Please note: the Colli Nature Path reveals the mysteries of nature. There's much to discover also for nature lovers!

Author: AT