Traditional cow festivals are found all around the Alpine slopes during the fall. One of the best we’ve been to is the festival of Kastelruth while we were on our Dolomite Road Trip.
We were only on Day 2 of our Dolomite Road Trip, and we couldn’t stop smiling. So far, our trip had been even more beautiful and fun than we had imagined.
Our first day we’d hiked the stunning valley in Selva Val Gardena, and the morning of Day 2 we spent at the top of the Seiser Alm with our first cow parade of the day.
If you missed our Day 1 hike in Selva, click here.
If you missed reading about the cows on the Seiser Alm, click here.
Cow Festival Kastelruth/ Castelrotto
Now we were on to Kastelruth. So, this is a bit of a cheat. It’s not really a different cow parade than the one we had done in the morning. It is, technically, a continuation. The Transhumanza on the Seiser Alm starts somewhere above Compaccio and continues all the way to Kastelruth.
There were quite a few folks in Compatsch, but it was nothing compared to the hordes of people in Kastelruth. Hordes.
By the time we arrived, we were hungry, and we knew we had at least an hour before the first cows started arriving, so we looked for lunch. There were a few food stand options lined up along the road along with plenty of drinking choices, as well.
We found a stall that served wild venison sandwiches. They displayed some deer racks on one of their tables; I guess to authenticate the vendor. We couldn’t turn this down. The sandwich was served with horseradish and cranberry sauce. It was delicious!
We also grabbed a couple of glasses of wine and found a seat along the curb since all the seats were taken. After lunch, we made sure we were in a good spot for photos and waited.
Our Dolomite Road Trip Looked like this:
- Drove from Ramstein area in Germany
- Overnighted in the Brenner Pass
- Day 1 – Vipiteno, Bolzano, and Selva Val Gardena (volksmarch)
- Day 2 – Siusi, Seiser Alm, Compatsch and Kastelruth – Cow festivals
- Day 3 – Völs am Schern, Tiers Cow Festival, Via Coller, St. Magdalena Bacon Festival
- Day 4 – Tre-Cime and Lago di Braies
- Day 5 – Kronplatz Peak, The Lumen Mountain Photography Museum and the Messner Mountain Climbing Museum
- Day 6 – 9 – Back to Bolzano, Bergamo, Annecy and the Retours des Alpages
Download a snapshot pdf of our Dolomite road trip for further planning.
Kastelruth hosts quite the festival, and there was entertainment for us while we waited. We watched some whip-crackers (is there a term for this?) and listened to Austrian oompah music, so the time passed quickly.
Kastelruth Cows Arrive!
Here come the cows!
As I mentioned, this, in actuality, is a continuation of the Compatsch cow festival. So, at this point, the poor cows had walked about 20 kms. To say they and their minders were a bit tired is an understatement.
The cows were drooling, their eyes wild, and most of the headdresses had fallen to the side. The farmers and other people accompanying the animals were just as tired. Yes, they did their best to squeak out a yodel, tip their hats, and look excited, but the only thing they could think of at that point was the fact that they were almost done.
Thankfully, some of their friends and family would run up to them with a beer, which would put a smile on their faces.
The cows were just as done. They didn’t want the people to be there; they didn’t want to stop. They had no more patience. I’m sure their hooves hurt. It was much harder for the minders to keep them in line, and some of the spectators kept getting in their way. Poor things.
Somewhere along the road, a family with goats joined the parade, and watching the kids try to keep the goats in line was hilarious, probably my favorite part of the parade.
After the cows had left, the festival was in full swing. We stayed for awhile to watch the Schuhplattler dancers (Austrian folk dancers), and all the townspeople dancing in the square. It was tons of fun and we were thrilled we’d gone there instead of just staying up on the Seiser Alm.
Our Rating
Choosing a rating for the Kastelruth festival is pretty hard. As far as festivals go, it’s a full five stars. It’s small, but fun! Between the whippers, the dancers, the accordion player, the wine, and the food, you will definitely want to go to this event.
So why then just four stars? I pulled off a star because of the cows. By the time the cows and farmers get to Castelrotto, they are bushed! Tired! Not happy.
Now, to be fair, most people probably didn’t even notice. But, Jim and I had been up on the Seiser Alm where the atmosphere of the walkers, human and cow, was much more jovial and happy. So, as far as just going to see a cow almabtrieb (transhumanza), it wasn’t my favorite.
Conclusion
I wouldn’t change a thing, though. I loved being able to see the cows at the beginning and end of their long day. I loved dancing in the streets with the locals. It was all fantastic. In fact, I might just have to come back next year. It was that good!
Day 3 of our Dolomite road trip is so long we split it out into 2 posts. First, we stumble upon an Italian Thanksgiving ceremony, and second, we discover gorgeous villages, more stunning views, and, of course, more cows!
Click here to read about the Thanksgiving.
Click here to read about the cows and villages.
Author Bio: Corinne Vail is a travel photographer, food lover, and a perpetual traveler who has been travel writing for over 14 years. For many years she lived overseas in Germany, Japan, Turkey, South Korea, and the Netherlands teaching the children of the US. military. She’s visited over 90 countries, and she’s not stopping anytime soon.