Summer in Aldein
Hiking and mountaineering: Right in the Bletterbach valley, around the Weißhorn and Schwarzhorn mountains, or further afield to the Latemar, Karerpass and Rosengarten massifs… a vast hinterland offers numerous magnificent hiking and mountaineering tours. Plan your hiking tours here or at www.trekking.suedtirol.info
Climbing: From alpine climbing tours on the Rotwand and via ferratas to climbing in climbing gardens, everything is possible. The "Untere Mühle" climbing garden in Truden can be reached in 10 minutes. To plan your climbing tours: www.kletterland.com
Golf: The 18-hole golf course in Petersberg is just a 5-minute drive away. Nestled amidst forests, the expansive course offers everything a golfer could wish for. Information about the course and prices can be found at www.golfclubpetersberg.it
Swimming: Locally, Lake Göllersee invites you to swim amidst beautiful natural surroundings. For nature lovers, the Montiggler Lakes are nearby, offering a combination of hiking and swimming, as is Lake Kaltern with its swimming facilities. The outdoor pools in Auer, Neumarkt, and Tramin beckon even those who prefer not to swim in lakes to take a refreshing dip.
Mountain biking: Numerous forest and hiking trails offer short or long, easy or challenging tours. For planning your bike tours: www.mountainbiker.it, www.suedtiroler-mountainbikeguide.com, www.mountainbikeninsuedtirol.com.
E-bikes are available for rent in Aldein: information can be obtained from the local tourist office or from us. Mountain bikes can also be rented in Deutschnofen, delivered, or even joined on guided tours: www.krauti.it
Horse riding: At the "Bichlhof" farm, you can take your little ones for a pony ride or even explore the woods on horseback yourself (by prior arrangement, call +39 0471 886 788). In Deutschenofen, there is also the Angerlealm riding stable (www.reitstall.it).
Summer at Rasterhof
Summer is our busiest time. Our herd of mother cows spends beautiful summer days on our alpine meadows below the Schmieder Alm. Our oxen and young cows enjoy a wonderful summer on the alpine pastures.
We regularly check on our animals to monitor their health, see if there are any offspring, and feed them treats.
Haymaking work needs to be done on the farm: Three times, at the beginning of June, at the end of July and at the beginning of September, we cut and dry the hay from our meadows to bring it into the barn as winter feed.
Our vegetable garden is also very busy right now. Weeding, harvesting, and preserving take turns.
And the care of our holiday guests, as well as the apartments and the outdoor area, is most intensive during this time of year.
Sundays, however, are reserved for our children until 5 pm. We enjoy spending time with them without kindergarten and a constant schedule of obligations.
July and August: We go up to our alpine pasture to check on the cows and have a barbecue around a campfire.
Winter in Aldein
Skiing: Within a 20 km radius, you can reach numerous smaller and larger ski resorts in the magnificent Dolomite landscape: Obereggen Skicenter Latemar www.obereggen.com, Cavalese Alpe Cermis www.alpecermis.it, Jochgrimm Ski Resort www.jochgrimm-oclini.com, Karerpass Ski Resort www.carezza.it
Cross-country skiing: On the Aldeins alpine pastures, we offer a total of 40 km of cross-country ski trails for both classic and freestyle skiing.
Winter hiking, snowshoeing, and ski touring: You can enjoy easy winter hikes in the immediate vicinity. Some of the trails are also paved to ensure safe winter hiking. In the wider area, you can embark on a variety of magnificent mountain hikes and ski tours. When planning your tours in the high alpine region, however, please pay attention to the avalanche warnings: www.provinz.bz.it/lawinen for South Tyrol and www.meteotrentino.it for Trentino.
South Tyrolean Christmas markets: Every year, visitors from north and south flock to the Christmas markets in Bolzano, Merano, Trento, Bressanone, Brunico, and Vipiteno, where they treat their Christmas shopping like a sport. But you'll also find an increasing number of Christmas markets in smaller towns and villages.
Winter at Rasterhof
Things are quieter on the farm in winter: The cows are in the barn, enjoying the sun in the paddock during the day. They are fed early in the morning and in the evening, and the stalls are cleaned two to three times a week. During the winter, the pigs are slaughtered for our delicious farm-raised bacon, which is then used to make bacon and sausages.
However, there is no real rest even in winter: Farmer Albert takes on logging work in winter and is usually out in the forest.
Farmer Maria focuses more on her work as an architect during the winter. We also try to make small improvements to our holiday apartments and work on our marketing during the winter months.
If you're looking for peace and quiet, especially in winter, you've come to the right place.
Furthermore, you can experience special highlights with us, especially in winter:
Christmas: We pick a Christmas tree in the forest
New Year's Eve: Mulled wine by an open bonfire
December to March: Toboggan run in front of the house (depending on snow conditions)
Spring in Aldein
Enjoy the carefree spring air with us!
"In lower altitudes, flowering trees and grasses often cause runny noses and watery eyes. But here you can still enjoy the fresh spring air without a care."
Spring at Rasterhof
"Welcome to May! Spring begins with fresh energy here."
With the melting snow and the first warm days, we clear away the remnants of winter. We collect leaves and plant debris from last year and prepare our garden. Finally, we can spend lots of time outdoors as a family.
Our animals are now enjoying their freedom too. From April onwards, our cows are allowed back out to pasture, weather permitting. Initially, they graze near the farm, and then in mid-June they move to our alpine meadows.
In spring, we take intensive care of our alpine pastures: We collect branches and fight weeds.
It's also the best time to secure the future of our forest. Every year we plant new saplings in our woodlands. You're warmly invited to join us on this adventure! And if there's any time left, we'll finish the last of the logging operations.
May and June: Together we will plant a tree (advance registration required).
Autumn in Aldein
Autumn is the season for gourmets:
The bustling tourist crowds subside by the end of August, and you can once again enjoy the tranquility of our landscape. This is the best time for hiking and savoring the excellent cuisine in our beautiful alpine pastures.
Cattle drives: In autumn, farmers bring their animals back home to the barn. The cattle drive in September and the sheep drive in October are celebrated with great respect for tradition. The exact dates can only be announced at short notice, as the animals are brought home earlier or later depending on the availability of grazing in the pastures.
Hiking and mountaineering: The clear autumn air offers the most beautiful time for hiking.
Directly in the Bletterbach valley, around the Weißhorn and Schwarzhorn mountains, or further on to the Latemar, Karerpass and Rosengarten massifs… a vast hinterland offers numerous wonderful hiking and mountain tours. Plan your hiking tours here or at www.trekking.suedtirol.info
Golf: The 18-hole golf course in Petersberg is just a 5-minute drive away. Nestled amidst forests, the expansive course offers everything a golfer could wish for. Information about the course and prices can be found at www.golfclubpetersberg.it
Mountain biking: Numerous forest and hiking trails offer short or long, easy or challenging tours. For planning your bike tours: www.mountainbiker.it, www.suedtiroler-mountainbikeguide.com, www.mountainbikeninsuedtirol.com. E-bikes can be rented in Aldein: information is available at the local tourist office or from us. Mountain bikes can also be rented, delivered, or even joined on guided tours in Deutschnofen: www.krauti.it
Horse riding: At the "Bichlhof" farm, you can take your little ones for a pony ride or even explore the woods on horseback yourself (by prior arrangement, call +39 0471 886 788). In Deutschenofen, there is also the Angerlealm riding stable (www.reitstall.it).
Autumn at Rasterhof
In autumn, we also gradually bring the animals down from the alpine pastures to the farm. We move our animals step by step to the lower-lying pastures. Therefore, in autumn we constantly have to put up pasture fences and move the animals to the next pasture, and finally, towards the end of October, bring them into the barn.
The barn is prepared for winter beforehand; it is cleaned and all necessary repairs are carried out. We also bring the wood for our wood chip heating system to the farm in autumn to be well prepared for the cold winter.
The garden is also harvested and the dying plant remains are removed.
For farmer Albert, the hard time of logging begins again in autumn.
September to April: Lumberjack Days: We fell a tree (book in advance, participation fee applies)
Autumn in Aldein
Autumn is the season for gourmets:
The bustling tourist crowds subside by the end of August, and you can once again enjoy the tranquility of our landscape. This is the best time for hiking and savoring the excellent cuisine in our beautiful alpine pastures.
Cattle drives: In autumn, farmers bring their animals back home to the barn. The cattle drive in September and the sheep drive in October are celebrated with great respect for tradition. The exact dates can only be announced at short notice, as the animals are brought home earlier or later depending on the availability of grazing in the pastures.
Hiking and mountaineering: The clear autumn air offers the most beautiful time for hiking.
Directly in the Bletterbach valley, around the Weißhorn and Schwarzhorn mountains, or further on to the Latemar, Karerpass and Rosengarten massifs… a vast hinterland offers numerous wonderful hiking and mountain tours. Plan your hiking tours here or at www.trekking.suedtirol.info
Golf: The 18-hole golf course in Petersberg is just a 5-minute drive away. Nestled amidst forests, the expansive course offers everything a golfer could wish for. Information about the course and prices can be found at www.golfclubpetersberg.it
Mountain biking: Numerous forest and hiking trails offer short or long, easy or challenging tours. For planning your bike tours: www.mountainbiker.it, www.suedtiroler-mountainbikeguide.com, www.mountainbikeninsuedtirol.com. E-bikes can be rented in Aldein: information is available at the local tourist office or from us. Mountain bikes can also be rented, delivered, or even joined on guided tours in Deutschnofen: www.krauti.it
Horse riding: At the "Bichlhof" farm, you can take your little ones for a pony ride or even explore the woods on horseback yourself (by prior arrangement, call +39 0471 886 788). In Deutschenofen, there is also the Angerlealm riding stable (www.reitstall.it).
