Fröhlich Tower, Malles Venosta

Tranquil place in the Vinschgau with a good starting point for hikes and bike tours.

Malles (German: Mals) is one of the oldest towns in South Tyrol, Italy; thanks also to its sunny position at around 1,000 m. altitude, amongst forests, meadows, mountains and streams (including Adige/Etsch river) , has a lot to offer to nature lovers and hikers, trekkers or bikers: it is crossed by Via Claudia Augusta (the main cycle path of the Vinschgau valley), where hundreds of cyclists travel every day.

But it is very interesting from the point of view of culture, too. The historic center of Malles is characterized by medieval houses and churches and Romanesque bell towers. The Church of St. Benedict contains rare carolingian frescoes, similar to those of Naturno.
A very special tourist destination is the Fröhlich tower, the donjon of a 33-meter high medieval fortress.

Near Malles you can visit the medieval castle of the Prince (or Fürstenburg) or the Abbey of Monte Maria (or Marienberg), the highest Benedictine monastery in Europe, erected in about the 13th century and then restored in Baroque style.

Finally, between Malles and Glorenza after World War I was created a military barrage made of large concrete bunkers that would have to defend the territory from a possible invasion from the North and which are still visible.

The bike service with the Bikemobilcard works perfectly and fast. After we bought the day ticket in the tourist office in Partschins, we drove from the station Töll with the Vinschgau railway to Mals where is also terminus, up to the upper Vinschgau. Right at the train station is the bike rental station. Within 15min. we borrowed our bikes and we were ready to go. Also at our terminus in Naturns the return of the wheels worked within 5min. The tour took us through beautiful places, along the Adige River and through apple orchards, as well as through beautiful forest sections with wonderful rest stops, highly recommended.