The Ranui Chapel in front of the Geislerspitzen

After three days of touring in the Puez-Geisler Nature Park – to the Schlüterhütte, back via the Medalgesalm to Campill and up the Zwölferkofel – I had planned further highlights for the return journey. At the junction from the Campill Valley to St. Martin in Thurn, I therefore turned west onto the road to the Würzjoch. This allowed me to more or less circle the Peitlerkofel and cross the pass into the Villnöß Valley, to experience the famous panorama of the Geislerspitzen from another perspective. Villnöß is also the home of the two famous mountaineers Reinhold and Günther Messner. They had their first climbing experiences on the rock faces and ridges of the Puez-Geisler, right on their doorstep, so to speak.

The winding and narrow road required full attention, but there were plenty of stopping points to marvel at the mountain world around the Würzjoch and the north faces of the Peitlerkofel on short excursions. My last stop before heading home was the Ranuihof with its picturesque St. John’s Chapel, below the towering rock faces of the Geislerspitzen. This chapel, like the St. Magdalena Church, became an Instagram celebrity, which has further increased the influx of visitors to the surrounding photo spots. Above all, it attracts tourists who visit the valley just for that one photo and otherwise show little to no interest in the area. Due to the rush of tourists and photographers onto the surrounding meadows, a high fence was erected to manage the visitors. Direct access to the church is now only possible through a paid turnstile.

To continue allowing selfies and pictures for everyone, a freely accessible viewing platform with the famous perspective of the church in front of the mountains is offered. It really is a beautiful sight. Once again, the low afternoon sun made the rocks glow before the first clouds of a cold front moved into the Dolomites and unfortunately ended the impressive spectacle. That was then the right time to head home, with many wonderful impressions and memories of warm encounters and impressive landscapes in my luggage.