Kurtinig at the wine road

Kurtinig is situated in the midst of the Etschtal.  With its almost 2 km² of area, it is the second-smallest village in South Tyrol, the only village without a forest, without rock, without suburbs and, in addition, the only village with the lowest difference in altitude (209 – 212 metres). 

It is also the only village of the Etschtal, where the historic centre was built in the middle of the valley, although the region was formerly quite swampy.  Findings from the Stone Age and Roman times prove that the sides of the river Etsch were a profitable hunting and fishing region.  Before work was carried out along the river in 1893, the village was surrounded by the sides of the river Etsch, which often lead to flooding.  This resulted in the village being given the name ‘Little Venice’.

The large cobblestone village square with its lovingly renovated draw-well invites you to rest for a while.  In 1996, a piece of ground owned by the village was transformed into a biotope, in which the original flora and fauna of this region could find a place to survive. 

This initiative project was organised by seven farmers and they also created similar natural islands on their own orchards and fields. For this reason, they received as a reward, the Prize for the Conservation of the Countryside by the province of South Tyrol in 2003.

Kurtinig is also known to be the village of house grapes, given the vines grows upwards on many facades.  It is tradition, that a vine is planted beside the wall of a house, particularly when the first child is born, when the farmhouse is transferred to a son or when the farmhouse is newly built or reconstructed.  

  Village map in pdf format