The Menhirs
The stone monoliths stand in all their impressive mystique, bearing their etched and one time actually painted engravings for the world to see.
 Simultaneously to the ice age men and as a result of the first copper smelting techniques, male, female and neuter stelae figures were strewn along the Alpine mountain ranges and are nowadays classified into groups based on their etched engravings and elements. The eleven menhirs located in South Tyrol plus the seven in the Trento regional districts belong to what is currently defined as being the Etsch Valley group. Common to all stones, are the engravings of a fringed cape decorated with vertical stripes. The male stelae also bear etchings of triangular blade daggers (as in the Upper Italian Remedello Culture), sometimes affixed to beaded neck rings or ornamental disks with additional engravings of hatchets with knee-bent handles, halberds, battle axes, clubs and bows and arrows. The female stelae instead bear etchings of chain necklaces, double spiral-shaped trinkets and medallions as well as dress decorations such as hair bands with mother of pearl plaques or brass pendants. Comparison with tomb and grave excavations and other hoard findings have enabled tracing of the eternally engraved menhir etchings, to as far back as the Calcolithic period (3300 to 2200 B.C.). The erection of such stelae in places of worship and to mark burial grounds was surely an extremely creative feat that encompassed the selection of the right material, raw hewing and carving of the stone, the transport, setting and completion processes of the figure in its chosen settings......

Chapel of St. Stephen Morter

 ... A jewel in the Vinschgau

 The Sistine chapel of St. Stephen in Morter Laces Venosta is one of the the most remarkable churches in South Tyrol.  The chapel is situated in the immediate vicinity of the castles under - and Obermontani.

  The chapel of St. Stephen has a facade tower and the entrance is a pointed arch portal.  The present building dates to the 15th Century and contains frescoes of the Lombard, Dutch and Bavarian schools.  Among others, the north face cycle shows 12 images of the legend of St. Stephen and the east wall of the Ursula legend.  On the south wall hunting scenes with St. Hubertus, on the west side of impressive compositions of Judgement Day.

For more information, visit the website of the Tourism Association Laces-Val Martello