Mendola Pass

The local mountain of Caldaro (Kaltern) and name giver for the whole Mendola Ridge rises high above the villages of the Oltradige area. It is the Mendola Pass, or simply Mt. Mendola, a mountain pass which forms the border between the south of South Tyrol and the Val di Non valley in the Trentino. Near the pass height, in Ruffrè, there’s also a small skiing area in winter.

The 1,363 m high pass (Mendelpass, in German - Passo della Mendola, in Italian), a famous alpine holiday resort in the 19th century already, with guests such as Sissi, Empress of Austria and Mahatma Gandhi, is still today a popular destination. Cyclists and motorcyclists love the winding pass road with its 17 hairpin bends - its history dates back to the years around 1880 AD. The Mendola Funicular, once the steepest funicular railway throughout Europe, takes hikers from Caldaro to the Mendola Pass, from where they may continue to the summits of Mt. Roen or Mt. Penegal (3 hours), or descend to the Caldaro High Route at the slopes of the mountain ridge.