Stoanerne Mandln

Wanderung zu den Stoanernen Mandln

We may be staying in one of the most beautiful and peaceful hotels we've ever enjoyed.  This is the splurge place of our Italian trip.  After an incredible meal last night (the restaurant earned a Michelin star but more about that in the next installment) we set off to hike to the Stoanernen Mandln...the place of the Stone Men.

Of course the hike was again straight up a rough road.  This morning Pam was more than willing to go slow and rest often.  We passed bucolic scenes of alpine life...sheep in a meadow, cows grazing the wet grass, chalet style rifugios, and along the way made the acquaintance of four beautful palomino horses.  Better than I can tell here are the pieces of the legnd of the Stoanernen Mandln taken from several internet sites:

Auf 2.000 m Meereshöhe in den Sarntaler Alpen befindet sich ein sagenumwobener Platz mit den Stoanernen Mandln...Opps.  English, please!

     

From the legendary ridge of the alpine pasture on the Hohen Reisch plateau,,,the views are considered to be among the best of the Sarntal Alps: you look out over the whole world of the Dolomites, all the way to Marmolada Mountain and the king of South Tyrol’s mountains, Mount Ortler. Even when the weather isn’t good, this hike is unforgettably magical: it makes the Stoanernen Mandeln (stone men) seem especially mysterious. The 100 randomly constructed stone statues are sometimes overwhelmingly large. These stacked-up piles of stones await hikers at the outlook point like a troop of soldiers. 

In other parts of South Tyrol, stones such as these serve as orientation and indicate which way the mountain trails run. In other cases, they were simply built by shepherds to pass the time. Actually, these stone men at 2,003 metres in altitude would be considered to be simply the result of shepherds passing the time were it not for the rock engravings and flint tools found here, which indicate Stone Age and medieval activity.   It is said that witches danced and devils revelled here, at an elevation of 2,000 metres, for about 500 years: stories were told about rainmaking and the eating of children. A court document dating from 1540, which accused the “witch” Barbara Pacheco of meeting devils and other witches up there, seems to be the origin of this sketchy theory. Ancient markings in the crevices support the idea that the outlook point was a Celtic ritual site thousands of years ago. The ascent from Auener Hof Farm takes 1.5 hours, and is quite manageable for experienced hikers. 

So, we acquitted ourselves as experienced hikers and enjoyed a good hour by ourselves wandering among the stone men.  In several places, Christian crosses have been placed in or among the stones.  One more example of Christians coopting indigenous religion?  Or it may be that these ancient stones serve as a foundation to whatever religions happened along next.  In any event, I was moved enough to dance here. Whirling slowly among the stone towers, humming bits of "Lord of the Dance," I felt perfectly at home.

                                I danced in the morning when the world was young 

                                    I danced in the moon and the stars and the sun 

                                I came down from heaven and I danced on the earth 

                                                  At Bethlehem I had my birth 

                                           Dance, dance, wherever you may be 

                                             I am the lord of the dance, said he 

                                          And I lead you all, wherever you may be 

                                           And I lead you all in the dance, said he 

With Enya singing gently into the waning afternoon here at Auner Hof...we'll leave you with the images of our hike.

Das Ende!  Language in this part of Italy is a mix of Italian, German, and Ladin--on the trail we try our best!