Well-preserved
old churches,
fortresses and castles testify to a grandeur harking back to bygone ages, housing precious works of art of international renown. With its multiple influences, the "
Alpine Road of Romanesque Art" embodies
an invaluable cultural heritage. In the
border area separating the Swiss Engadine and South Tyrol are
numerous works of early Romanesque art dating from its most glorious epoch. This includes the
Convent of St. John in Müstair, founded by Charlemagne, today a
UNESCO World Heritage Site.
In the eastern region of South Tyrol, lies the
Venosta Valley, with its numerous Carolingian and Romanesque villages. Together with the
Müstair Valley in neighbouring Swiss Engadine, the Venosta Valley is
home to some of the oldest existing churches and frescoes in continental Europe. Along the
Adige Cycle Route, retracing the ancient Roman road known as the
Via Claudia Augusta, lie the
Benedictine Abbey of Marienberg (the highest in Europe), the
medieval town of Glurns/Glorenza, the
St. Veit's Church on the mystic Tarces Hill and the pre-Carolingian
Church of St. Prokulus in Naturns/Naturno.