With the Dolomites as a backdrop and boasting some unique landscape, the Seiser Alm pastures and the surrounding Schlern area are rightly a popular region. The Seiser Alm measures seven times eight kilometres and, being the largest high mountain pasture in Europe, it is perfect for hikers, skiers and ski tourers. The area is watched over by the Schlern, the mountain that is the symbol of South Tyrol.

Legendary meadowlands
The farmers of the surrounding areas have always driven their cattle up to the Seiser Alm for summer grazing. It features 56 square metres of meadows and pastureland – a real paradise for cows. Local agriculture is geared towards livestock farming accordingly: most farms keep cows, some of them also sheep, goats, hens and rabbits. Only a few farms in lower-lying spots cultivate fruit on a large scale, but nearly all have their own small herb and vegetable garden for their daily needs. You, too, can try this produce when staying at a holiday flat or room in the Seiser Alm - Schlern area.

Where sparrows sing
If you fancy spending your holiday beneath the Schlern, you have a choice of three municipalities: Kastelruth, Völs am Schlern and Tiers. They have one thing in common, in that they all make an ideal base for excursions into the countryside. Each of them has their own advantages. The name of Kastelruth may mean something to you: the 'Kastelruther Spatzen' group, a folk music group famous all over Europe, hails from this village. Fans of this all-singing, all-playing group meet twice a year in Kastelruth. In mid-June at the 'Spatzen Open Air' festival and in mid-October at the 'Kastelruther Spatzenfest'. Of course, this is not the only thing that the parish has to offer. The lower terminal of the cable car to car-free Seiser Alm is here, making it a base for lots of hikes not involving a car. Options for hiking destinations are Salegg and Hauenstein castle ruins, both steeped in legend. The well-known poet, Oswald von Wolkenstein, lived and wrote poetry at Hauenstein.

Swimming in a mountain lake
While the Seiser Alm pasture sets the tone for Kastelruth as far as landscape is concerned, Völs am Schlern – as the name suggests – has a real symbol: the Schlern. Legends regarding this striking rock massif abound. It is said that witches met to dance with the devil here. The stories are still present today. One walk leads to the 'Hexenbänke', or 'Witches' Benches', for example, where the chief witch had her seat and kept an eye on the whole of the Schlern area. Those less interested in legends could visit Völser Weiher lake. This mountain lake in the middle of pine forest is pleasantly cool in summer and a meeting point for ice-skaters in winter. One of the annual highlights also takes place in Völs am Schlern: at the start of June, all three municipalities organise the 'Oswald-von-Wolkenstein-Ritt', a medieval horse riding tournament, which has the Kastelruth poet, Oswald von Wolkenstein, as its patron saint, so to speak.

Dining with the Rosengarten: Tiers
Anyone feeling attracted by one of the finest mountains in South Tyrol, the Rosengarten, on a Farm Holiday in the Seiser Alm - Schlern area, should stay in Tiers. Here, you can decide if you want to hike in the Schlern area, on the Seiser Alm or around the Rosengarten. Tiers has lots of hiking options in its favour as well as its culinary options, especially in summer: the 'Bergler Harass', a picnic featuring South Tyrolean specialities, is held at this viewpoint near Wuhnleger lake, while in July, the 'Bergler Tafel', a table of a dozen metres long, attracts those wishing to enjoy a menu put together by top chefs from Tiers to evening views of the glowing Rosengarten.

Why you should take a holiday in the Seiser Alm - Schlern area:

• The largest high mountain pasture in Europe with countless excursion options
• Variety: bathing in Völser Weiher lake, skiing on the Seiser Alm, hiking on the Schlern massif
• Fantastic views of the Schlern massif and Rosengarten mountains