St. Bortolomew festival

Thursday, 24.08.2023 (Ritten)When the summer season draws to a close, the Alpine herdsmen, or ‘Saltner’ as they are called here, traditionally end the period of the year spent isolated from the rest of the world.
The diving of herds from the high pastures down to their winter quarters is a colourful event which is celebrated in many of Südtirol’s valleys and on the Ritten mountain this festival falls on St. Bartholomew’s day, 24th August.

During the late morning, as noon approaches the scene becomes increasingly more colourful and lively, the air is filled with the aromas of grilled sausages, ribs of pork, sweet ‘Krapfen’ and the music of the village band of Wangen.

At noon precisely the atmosphere changes as the herds arrive to the sound of whips cracking, the calls and shouts of the herdsmen, the bellowing and mooing of the livestock.
On the feast day of St. Bartholomew Alpine farmers on the Ritten mountain traditionally evaluate the animals returning from the summer pastures.

Notice: because of the current situation, the event will take place in scaled-down form. Please contact the Tourist Office or organiser for further information.