A nice hike to the Castelchiaro/Leuchtenburg ruins, the "warmth holes" and the "Rosszähne" rock formation.
Change of path along the hike: 13, 13A
The trail to the Castelchiaro/Leuchtenburg ruins starts at the car park in Novale al Varco/Kreit and leads along path no. 13 directly up to the ruins. Thereafter the path brings you along the Monte di Mezzo/Mitterberg to the "warmth holes" and to the "Rosszähne" rock formation. Finish the circular hike along path nr. 13A, which leads back to the starting point at the car park.
Castelchiaro castle is the ruin of a castle that was built in the 13th century above the Kalterer See lake by the Lords of Rottenburg, in the municipality of Vadena/Pfatten. The fortress was well protected thanks to its position and its striking shield wall. After 1610, Castelchiaro castle remained empty and gradually fell into ruins. Today the ruins are freely accessible, and inside the well-preserved remains of the building, the corridor and the frescoes of the fifteenth century are still visible.
The natural phenomenon "warmth holes" are holes in the ground which emit air that holds it's temperature of about 25°C over the course of the whole year. The so called "Rosszähne" is a rock formation which gets it's name form it's resemblance to a set of horse teeth.
Arrival by public transport from Laives/Leifers: take bus line 110, 111 or 112 to the railway station in Bolzano/Bozen; change to bus line 131 and get off at the bus stop "Piazza Rottenburg/Rottenburgerplatz" (Caldaro/Kaltern). From there take bus line 130 to the bus stop "S. Giovanni al Lago/St. Josef am See" (Caldaro/Kaltern). After a 30-minute walk you arrive at the car park Castelchiaro/Leuchtenburg.