The all-round views afforded by the high plateau above Bruneck to the right of the Rienz river are actually the main attraction. The rural municipality of Pfalzen with the villages of Issing, Greinwalden and Platten in Kronplatz holiday region is one of the sunniest municipalities in the whole of South Tyrol. The road running through the parish of Pfalzen is justifiably called the 'Sonnenstraße', or 'Road of the Sun'.

This road turns northwards off the Pustertaler Straße north at Bruneck and goes up through forest. The trees soon thin out and give way to the flat fields and meadows of Pfalzen. The Sonnenstraße winds upwards through Issing and Mühlen past various hamlets until the sunny village of Terenten at an altitude of 1,245 metres.

A place in the sun
There are lots of well-kept farmhouses amidst meadows and fields on the Sonnenstraße showing that farming calls the shots here. This stretch is particularly popular with cyclists. The ascents provide the sportier ones with a challenge or feel a little less steep on an e-bike, and, coming down to the road along the valley at Vintl, you can either take the Pustertal cycle path or get the train back to Bruneck. However, this doesn't mean that this high plateau is only ideal for cyclists: on a Farm Holiday in Pfalzen you can walk from hamlet to hamlet on pleasant, well-marked paths and decide for yourself how many kilometres you want to cover.
The sunny spot is ideal for arable and livestock farming, too. Farmers used to spend all day in the fields. Breakfast, or 'Formas', was at five o'clock, while there was a slight snack, or 'Neina', at nine o'clock in the fields. Towards midday, the bells would ring on the farmhouse roof and the farmers knew that lunch was ready. If they were not working near the farmhouse, they didn't go home for lunch. The 'Marende' eaten in the course of the afternooon would fortify them for the rest of their long day. Nowadays, work is done faster, but the daily routine is still the same one and the meals have the same names, too.

Small mountain, large effects
The few houses that make up the hamlet of Platten lie nestling amidst steep meadows high above Pfalzen and are only accessible via a narrow mountain road. One of the best views in Pustertal may be had from this point – to Sambock peak. The walk from Platten takes about two and a half hours. Need an insider tip? You can gather blueberries on your way. From the mountain peak cross at Sambock at nearly 2,400 metres above sea level, you can view the whole of the Bruneck valley basin and the Dolomite peaks in the east and south. More expert hikers with stamina can now take the long ridge walk to Plattner Spitze and Bärentalspitze mountains. This route is a real insider tip for ski tourers, too.

The sickle on the crest 
Sichelburg castle is today the symbol of Pfalzen. This country residence a little apart from the village centre is assumed to have been constructed as the seat for the Lords of Pfalzen and was first mentioned in records in the 14th century. It is likely that the Sichelburg later passed to the hands of the Platzroller family. The two sickles on the Platzroller crest gave the castle its name and have adorned the official crest of the municipality of Pflalzen since 1968. Nowadays, the expertly renovated castle houses a restaurant.

Natural art
Once a year, the people of Pfalzen open their garden gates. On the 'Tag der offenen Privatgärten', or 'private gardens open day', you can stroll through Pflalzen and Issing and watch amateur gardeners at work on their flowerbeds behind the scenes. These open gardens do not just lend an insight into the colourful variety of the various gardens, but there are also old handcrafts on display and the chance to see bread being baked to old methods.

'LandArt' circular walk may be done all year round. It starts and ends in the village of Pfalzen and its name says it all: seven local artists have created individual art stations on the walk to create a threefold treat for walkers' eyes: for the art, the nature and the combination of the two.