What do you do in the middle of the Alps on a beautiful summer day? Of course spend the day in the mountains, taking one step at a time and letting your mind wander. The beauty of a farm holiday is its diversity: hiking, biking, relaxing and chilling out, climbing mountain peaks, spending the day in the village or down in the valley, taking a stroll, taking a peak at the work on the farm, or, if you like, lending a hand. It reminds of Astrid Lindgren’s Bullerbü idyll, at least a little.

In autumn, when it gets quiet in the valley, the locals have finished their hard summer work, the cranberries and blackberries ripen and the mountains and forests show themselves in all their colors, the most beautiful hiking season begins. Clear air and the best views, coupled with mild temperatures and deserted paths: that’s autumn in the mountaineering village of Matsch and the Fontenai farm. Wild and magnificent and of exceptional beauty.

Staying at the Matscher Ackerwaal? The best time is in spring when the rare flowers stretch their heads towards the sun and the locals cavort along the Waalweg trail. In spring, you can experience both: in the heights, still winter with the best firn tours, skiing in the spring light, in the valley already the first green and delicate flowers. Moreover, you can watch the farming season get going: the first work after winter begins as the days get longer. A very special atmosphere that is worth being in the center of.

The traditional “Georgi” and “Golli” markets take place in Mals in autumn and spring. An experience itself. In Matsch itself, the tradition of “Schelling” (ringing bells) takes place on 5 December, “Krampus” Day and in spring there is “Scheibenschlagen” – an old pagan custom to drive away the winter. The traditional customs are strung together like pearl necklaces in the annual calendar. Be part of it, something extraordinary awaits!

If the weather in the sunny Venosta Valley doesn’t play along, there are plenty of alternative programs: whether it’s the Churburg Castle with the largest private armory in the world, the imposing Marienberg Monastery, Italy’s smallest town Glurns with its medieval arcades, the Vintschger Museum in Schluderns, the UNESCO World Heritage site St. Müstair Monastery, the nearby spa town of Meran or the tower in the lake in Graun – you can look forward to plenty of variety.

For the kids, the Watles adventure mountain awaits many adventures and the climbing hall in Schluderns invites you to climb indoors. Wellness is addressed too: in Mals, the main village down in the valley, there is a large indoor swimming pool, a variety of different saunas, an indoor tennis center, and a bowling alley.
But there is also plenty to explore on the farm itself: in the stable, in the barn, or the nearby, protected forest. A train ride through the Vinschgau Valley will amaze children and adults alike and is the perfect pastime in bad weather.