Naturno/Naturns: first quick glance at the Vinschgau valley

Naturns, Naturno in Italian, is a municipality in South Tyrol, located about 40 km northwest of its capital Bolzano. Its population is about 5.7 thousand people, the majority (>95%) of which speak German as their first language.

According to Wikipedia, the origin of the name probably has pre-Roman roots and it hasn't changed since 1290.

Places of interest of Naturns include: 

• St. Proculus Church, built in the seventh century; 

• Juval Castle - residence of Reinhold Messner - a famous South Tyrolian climber and explorer. It is located closer to a small village of Stava, however, one train station further from Naturns;

• Erlebnisbad Naturns - Acquavventura Naturno aquapark;

• Mulino ad acqua storico - Historische Wassermühle - a historical mill;

• Waterfalls: Kirchbach Wasserfall - Cascata del Rio della Chiesa and Cascatella del Rio di Farnel - Farnellbach (Martscheinbach) Wasserfall.

I arrived in Naturns by train, by the train line service Bolzano-Merano-Malles. It was already after 5 pm, so it was more of a scout mission to the Vinschgau valley, famous for its spectacular views and tasty apples, to see the views and maybe add the place to the neverending bucket list.

What I found upon arrival was a lovely small town, indeed surrounded by gorgeous mountains. 

As I arrived quite late, I couldn't check the town's places of interest, I only walked a bit around its centre, noting its buildings, among which were the library and the bookshop, which were both closed of course, the town hall with a sun clock and restaurant "Zum Adler", where I had a delicious dinner.

The restaurant looks fancy but the prices are reasonable

Two other things I noted about the place:

Coat of Arms

It seemed like the town is proud of their coat of arms which I have seen not only on public buildings and murals but also on the street and house number plates.

One of the murals in Naturns featuring its coat of arms

Via Claudia Augusta

Naturns can also be reached by bicycle via the "Bike route on via Claudia Augusta". It is worth trying out not only because it is a famous roman road, it also leads you through a very scenic route. Maybe next time I come here, I will come by bicycle.

The bicycle path along via Claudia Augusta provides quite a lot of sightseeing

All in all, I liked Naturns and would like to come back for more exploration of the area around it. Therefore, to be continued...