Gsieser Almhüttenfest (Val Casies Alpine Hut Festival)

A festival celebrating the alpine huts of Val Casies

The Gsieser Almhüttenfest, or Val Casies Alpine Hut Festival, is one of the most beloved autumn events in South Tyrol. Every year, on the third Sunday of September, the Val Casies (Gsieser Tal) invites locals and hikers to climb to the high-altitude pastures to celebrate the end of the alpine season. The event takes place in the municipality of Valle di Casies/Gsies, in the province of Bolzano, in the Trentino-Alto Adige region.

From hut to hut, between 1,650 and 1,950 meters

The heart of the festival is a gentle, scenic loop trail connecting the valley's alpine huts, suitable for families. Walking from hut to hut, guests discover mountain refuges situated between 1,650 and 1,950 meters, nestled in the landscape of the Puster Valley Dolomites. Each hut opens its sunny terraces and offers traditional dishes, creating a culinary itinerary that unfolds throughout the day.

The flavors of South Tyrolean tradition

Gastronomy is the absolute star. Among the specialties served in the huts are:

• canederli (bread dumplings) of various types (cheese, spinach, with Kaminwurzen);
• South Tyrolean Speck and alpine cheeses;
• Tirtlan (the typical Puschtra Tirtlan from the Puster Valley) and apple strudel;
• Krapfen, homemade pastries, polenta with goulash, and barley soup;
• South Tyrolean wines and local beer.

Music, tradition, and family program

The day begins at 10:30 AM with an open-air mass celebrated at one of the huts. Throughout the day, the festival is enlivened by live folk music and traditional groups. A treasure hunt is organized for children, while one of the most anticipated attractions is the performance of the Taistner Gaslkrocha, with their characteristic whip-cracking (Goaßlschnöllen), an ancient farming custom of the South Tyrolean valleys.

A tradition rotating between villages

The festival originated in the late 1980s and has been honoring the valley's alpine huts for nearly forty years. A unique feature of the Gsieser Almhüttenfest is the rotation between the three villages of the Valle di Casies municipality: Colle/Pichl, San Martino/St. Martin, and Santa Maddalena/St. Magdalena take turns hosting the event, allowing visitors to discover different corners of the valley each time. It is the ideal occasion to bid farewell to summer in the mountains, amidst good food, folk culture, and the panoramas of South Tyrol.