Oh Alpe di Siusi.
You took my breath away years ago and now you have completely captivated me.
I am under your spell.
If you don’t know about this gorgeous place in Northern Italy then you must read on.
Because the Alpe di Siusi, known as Seiser Alm in German, is one of the most stunning natural places on this planet.
Period.
I bet you’re saying, “But, Lynne. Place X is beautiful or destination Z is the bomb!”
Well, read on, friend, as you’ll see why I love and rave about this incredible piece of Italy.
The picturesque Sciliar peak and valley. Love this mountain!
What is Alpe di Siusi? A town?
Alpe di Siusi, Seiser Alm, is actually the largest high altitude alpine meadow in Europe.
It’s basically a plateau up on the Dolomite mountains.
But it’s also an area of agriculture so you’ll find lots and lots of farms here with cows, horses, goats and lots of hay.
This vast pasture is surrounded by the Dolomite mountains making it very unique — and incredibly beautiful.
There are also loads of trails, ski slopes and ski lifts.
I’ll get to more of this in a bit.
Let’s cover some more logistics first.
The beautiful Alpe di Siusi surrounded by Dolomite peaks in summer.
There are lots of cows in Alpe di Siusi!
Where the hell is this Alpe di Siusi place?
Seiser Alm is located in the Trentino-Alto Adige region of Northern Italy — specifically the Alto Adige portion.
Alto Adige is also referred to as South Tyrol, or Südtirol in German, as it used to be part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire prior to WWI.
Because of this history and connection the Alto Adige area is far more Germanic than Italian.
In fact, signs are in German first and German — the Austrian dialect of German — is spoken more than Italian.
Alpe di Siusi is located about 35km from the main Alto Adige city of Bolzano/Bozen.
It sits next to Parco Naturale Sciliar-Catinaccio or Naturpark Schlern-Rosengarten.
Actually there are small parts of the meadow in this Dolomite park, but most of it is not technically within the park boundaries.
However Alpe di Siusi is usually associated with this nature park.
The towns of Suisi allo Sciliar, Castelrotto and Fié allo Sciliar are nearby and make great towns to base yourself.
You can take a bus up to the main Seiser Alm town of Compaccio/Compatsch, drive up (hours are limited so check first) or take the cable car from the town of Siusi allo Sciliar.
You can even walk or bike up if you are feeling especially energetic — it is all uphill!
However you get there, just get there.
This is the view you get along the hike to Saltria. I love the valley and the Sasso Lungo and Sasso Piatto lording over this valley.
What is there to do in Seiser Alm?
Lots and lots of outdoor activities.
But stay with me as you don’t have to be some fitness star to enjoy Alpe di Siusi.
Let’s start with winter.
Skiing and snowboarding take center stage as do cross country skiing and snowshoeing.
There are ski lifts, cross country tracks and you can even go sledding.
Snow bunnies will not be disappointed.
In summer and early autumn there are loads of trails — from short, easy walks to longer and steeper climbs — all around the Alpe.
But you can also use the bus system should you walk a little ways and not feel up to walking back to Compaccio/Compatsch.
You can rent a bike to ride around on most of the trails.
In fact, I saw boatloads of e-bikes on this recent trip.
These bikes are great for those not quite up to pedaling up some of the hills as you get a little boost for those uphill climbs.
There are also horse-drawn carriages that give you nice tour of the Alpe di Siusi if that’s more your speed.
The trails are well marked and easy to connect to each other.
And, get this, there are quite a few huts that serve up food throughout the day.
So you can walk around for a few hours, stop for lunch, then walk back to the cable car without having to worry about packing food.
You won’t go hungry, that’s for sure!
This is the valley near the Sattler hut. It’s beautiful!
There are signs everywhere so you’ll never get lost!
Wildflowers are in bloom in late June through July. I was lucky to see loads of flowers!!
One of the single track trails in Alpe di Siusi. These trails are still very easy to walk on and to navigate.
That’s the Sattler Hut, one of a few huts in the Alpe di Siusi. Easy to find something to eat and drink!
The insects and butterflies love the flowers!
The Sasso Lungo and Sasso Piatto are 2 predominant peaks of Alpe di Suisi. I love these mountains!
So why is this place worthy of my time?
Did I mention how drop-dead gorgeous Alpe di Siusi is?
It really is one of the most stunning landscapes I’ve ever laid eyes on.
In summer it’s so green with colorful wildflowers.
In winter it’s blanketed with snow.
And in autumn, you get those golden hues beginning to appear.
It’s both pastoral and mountainous.
The juxtaposition of those rolling fertile hills surrounded by jagged peaks is simply breath taking.
I think you should see it — at least once.
A blanket of flowers, gorgeous peaks, and nice trails.
Witches are everywhere in this part of Italy. This cute witch was sitting on the trail near Saltria. I think she looks like a nice witch.
I you’ve been to Alpe di Suisi, I’d love to hear from you.
Leave me a comment below!
And stay tuned as I’ll be writing more in-depth posts on this area.
I was searching for a great tourist attraction to include in our directory/ travel planner (https://youtu.be/pfejm8TzNCw) and came across your blog on Alpe di Siusi. I must say that you have some of the best pictures of this tourist location. Great post!
Best
Thanks Ken. I am a professional photographer too so I hope my pics are good! I love Alpe di Siusi!!
Wow! Your pictures are stunning. I hadn’t heard of this part of Italy, but now it’s on my list. I love Italy in general, but I’ve really only been to cities and the coast. I’d love to be able to do some hiking in an area like this one day. Thank you for sharing!
Northern Italy is amazing for hiking. Do check it out!!
Beautiful photos. We drove through this area in the winter and it seemed absolutely breathtaking. I’d love to just take a few days to relax here. Enjoy the sunshine. Visit the cows. Take in the serenity. Smell the wildflowers. 🙂
And goats. There are some goats around!! I would love to visit in winter as I’m sure it is as breathtaking as you say. But summer was amazing with all the flowers. Thanks for the comment.
Wow!! Soooooo stunning photos!
The Alps are incredible!
Never been to the Italian part of the Alps, only Slovenian. But your photos definitely made me wish to go!
Wonderful!!
I don’t know that these are technically part of the Alps as the Dolomites are a different type of rock, hence the name. But they are stunning and yes, you should go!