Marling: Wine Trails, Nature and Culture

Marling offers a range of starting points for planning a stay: a family-friendly nature trail, a route through wine culture, a much longer irrigation channel trail, as well as church architecture and a named cycling route. The distance information helps you compare the trails by length; wine-related objects and the apple blossom add further themes. This allows you to match your choice of hotel with the interests you would like to focus on during your stay in Marling.

Experience wine culture on a circular route

The Marling Wine Culture Trail is four kilometres long and starts in the village centre. It passes the Meran winery and the many wine farms of Mitterterz, follows quiet village roads and returns to the centre as a circular route. Both the start and finish are therefore in the village. Its circular layout and stated length give you a clear framework when choosing a trail related to viticulture and wine culture.

Along the route, information panels tell the story of wine and wine culture. There are also oversized objects from viticulture: a vine pruner, a must press and the Pazeide, an ancient wine and measuring vessel. The stops combine historical information with tangible objects. This means you encounter the theme of wine not only through the wine farms along the route, but also through the trail’s explanatory displays and physical features.

Forest stops and trails of different lengths

The Squirrel Trail has a different focus. Marked with squirrel signs, this circular trail is just over one kilometre long and features 23 nature and activity stations for the whole family. It is divided into play, sports and quiet zones. Educational stations explore the themes of forest and wood; there is also an adventure rope course and a forest classroom for creative activities in the woods. The combination of a circular trail, stations and different zones makes this route quite different from the wine trail.

The Marling Waalweg can also be assessed by its length: at around twelve kilometres, it is the longest irrigation channel trail in South Tyrol. Compared with the Squirrel Trail at just over one kilometre and the four-kilometre Wine Culture Trail, it is a considerably longer route.

Church, music and architecture

The Parish Church of the Assumption of Mary adds a cultural dimension to the trails. This neo-Gothic, three-aisled church was built to the plans of Viennese architect Anton Weber. The church bells also have a connection to music history: they inspired Franz Liszt to compose the song “Ihr Glocken von Marling” (“Ye Bells of Marling”). Its architecture and musical dedication thus provide two distinct points of interest for a visit. The church is wheelchair accessible.

A cycling route beyond Marling

The Via Claudia Augusta is another option for finding your way by bike. It runs from Marlengo or Marling via Lana, Nals and Andrian, then joins the Etsch Valley Cycle Path, which continues to Bolzano. Marling is therefore more than just a place name on this route: the itinerary passes through several named towns before connecting with the cycle path to Bolzano.

Marling in spring

A seasonal highlight transforms the fields around Marling: in spring, they become a colourful sea of apple blossoms. This springtime atmosphere adds a distinctive landscape experience to the hiking, wine and culture themes.

Discover more destinations: Sankt Martin In Passeier, St. Pankraz, Dorf Tirol, Partschins, Schenna, Ulten, Gargazon, Tscherms.

For the overarching travel overview: Burggrafenamt.