Cauria Hay Festival / Heufest in Gfrill-Kaura

A high-altitude farming tradition

The Cauria Hay Festival (known in German as Heufest in Gfrill) is one of the most authentic folk festivals in southern South Tyrol/Südtirol. It takes place in the tiny hamlet of Cauria/Gfrill, a cluster of farmsteads perched on a plateau at approximately 1,330 meters above sea level above the town of Salorno, within the Monte Corno Nature Park. Here, far from the Adige Valley floor, time seems to slow down, and the community gathers annually to celebrate a key moment in the agricultural calendar: the hay harvest.

The Thanksgiving Mass

The day begins around 10:30 AM with a thanksgiving Mass celebrated outdoors in front of the Maria Heimsuchung in der Wiese chapel, nestled in the high-altitude meadows. It is a moment of reflection where the community gives thanks for the hay harvested in the surrounding farms, a gesture rooted in the centuries-old alpine culture of these slopes.

Music, gastronomy, and conviviality

Once the religious service concludes, the meadow transforms into a lively village festival that continues until evening. The volunteer firefighters of Salorno, Pochi, and Cauria manage the food stands, serving traditional South Tyrolean dishes and drinks, while musical entertainment is provided by local folk groups such as the Böhmische Salurn and the Schuachplattler Salurn, who bring traditional songs, brass music, and Tyrolean dances. There is no shortage of games for children and the opportunity—much loved by the little ones—to roll around and lounge in the hay bales.

A nature excursion

The Hay Festival is also a perfect excuse for a high-altitude hike: Cauria can be reached via a pleasant walk from the towns below along the scenic trails of the Monte Corno Nature Park, in an area also crossed by the famous European E5 long-distance path. Flowering meadows, forests, and views over the Bassa Atesina provide the backdrop for a festival that blends faith, tradition, gastronomy, and a love for the mountains.

Where and when

The event is traditionally held on the first Sunday of August in the hamlet of Cauria/Gfrill, in the municipality of Salorno sulla strada del vino (Salurn an der Weinstraße), in the Province of Bolzano, Trentino-South Tyrol/Südtirol. Admission to the festival is free.