The Venosta Valley is characterized by its powerful mountain scenery and historical monuments,
castles and
monasteries, which bear witness to a turbulent but also peaceful past. South Tyrol's Western region is also impressive for the prominence of contemporary
architecture, art and culture. The Venosta Valley was home to many original
artists,
authors and
pioneering architects throughout the 19th and 20th centuries.
Karl Plattner, probably the best-known Venosta Valley artist of the post-war era, made his own independent way between the modern era and traditionalism. The draughtsman and illustrator
Paul Flora or the artists
Luis Stefan Stecher and
Jörg Hofer from Lasa/Laas, who uses marble dust in his works, also achieved international renown. A number of young
marble sculptors and artists also work with the white stone.
Thanks to the project “
Alpine Road of Romanesque Art”, which traces the steps of early mediaeval buildings and artworks, primarily romanesque churches are observed in Val Venosta.
The valley is also home to several renowned
architects. The predominant style of integrating the new harmoniously and yet radically into older buildings and structures and thus preserving the atmosphere, as well as working with old materials, has attracted attention for centuries.