Vigo di Fassa - Santa Giuliana
Winter hiking • Val di Fassa
Vigo di Fassa - Santa Giuliana
From Vigo to the Santa Giuliana church, patron saint of Val di Fassa, celebrated on 16 February. The prehistoric fortification of "Ciaslìr", the place where the sanctuary stands, is one of the oldest settlements in the valley, a place of pilgrimage that has always been venerated.
From the town centre, climb Strada de Piz to the town centre until you arrive at the covered fountain and continue straight on along Strada de Sent’Uiana. Go past the last house on the left and follow the little paved road leading to the boundary wall of the church, one of the richest buildings in the entire Val di Fassa from a historical point of view. The church dedicated to Santa Giuliana (there are documents witnessing that it existed already in 1237) is one of the most ancient church in the valley. On the outside there is a large figure representing Saint Christopher with a child, today hardly discernable. Inside are two precious works of art: the extremely beautiful frescoes on the apse, probably painted by artists of the Brixen’s school and dating back to the second half of the 15th century, and the wooden high altar, carved in 1517 by Giorgio Artz from Bolzano. The large number of benches disseminated throughout the beautiful larch forest invites to take a break in such an enchanting corner of the region beneath the church; you can also visit the Austro-Hungarian War Cemetery. The cemetery hosts the bodies of 663 soldiers killed during the First World War coming from all the countries that belonged to the Austro-Hungarian Empire at the time. From the hill behind the church, follow on the left an easy dirt path, until you cross another path which derives from Valongia. Follow this path that turns into Strada de Pontac, and then go onto Strada Rezia, and keep on walking until you get to the starting point of the itinerary.