Ancient town of the Upper Pusteria with its Romanesque collegiate church, gateway to the Tre Cime and the valley cycle path.
A short history
San Candido, Innichen in German, sits at 1,175 metres in the Upper Pusteria, close to the Austrian border. It is one of the oldest villages in the Alps. Its story begins in the year 769, when the Bavarian duke Tassilo III founded a Benedictine monastery here to spread the faith among the valley communities.
The mark of that history is the collegiate church of Saints Candidus and Corbinian, the most important Romanesque church in South Tyrol. Built between the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, it holds ancient frescoes and a large wooden crucifix. Around the apse grew the old town, with arcaded streets, houses with steep roofs and signs that speak of centuries of trade along the road to Austria.
Today San Candido is a small, tidy tourist town. From here the cycle path runs down along the Drava and the Rienza, and from here you climb towards the Tre Cime and the Val Fiscalina. The village stays tied to its historic identity, between German and Italian, and to the life of the valley.
What to see
- The collegiate church of Saints Candidus and Corbinian, the largest Romanesque church in South Tyrol, in the heart of the old town.
- The Val Pusteria cycle path, which from San Candido runs down towards Brunico and up towards Lienz, in Austria.
- The old town with its arcaded streets, a fine base for reaching the Tre Cime di Lavaredo and the Val Fiscalina.
Frequently asked questions
What is there to see in San Candido?
The symbol is the collegiate church of Saints Candidus and Corbinian, the most important Romanesque church in South Tyrol. A walk through the arcaded old town is also worth it. The Val Pusteria cycle path and the roads to the Tre Cime and the Val Fiscalina start from here.
How do you get to San Candido?
By car you follow the Val Pusteria main road from Brunico heading east. By train there is the San Candido station on the Pusteria line, with direct connections from Fortezza and towards Lienz, in Austria.