Venosta Valley

Bolzano, Merano and the Venosta Valley are the centre for the apple growing industry in Italy. One in 3 apples grown in Italy comes from this valley. We travel for almost an hour through apple orchards. High on the steep hills are grape vines. The area is famous for its Riesling and Traminer varieties. It's the start of the picking season and people are hard at work in the orchards, the trees laden with fruit. The big green packing boxes are spread through the orchards. We follow a small truck taking filled boxes into a village. We pass by a roundabout where trees have been topiarised into cyclists. This area is an elite cycling training ground. The Stelvio is nearby and it is often used in the Giro & the Tour de France routes.Read more