San Candido is an Italian municipality of the Autonomous Province of Bolzano, in Trentino-Alto Adige, located in Alta Pusteria. Today it is a renowned winter and summer tourist resort of the Dolomites, included in the Tre Cime natural park.
The first news of San Candido dates back to 1000 BC: the settlements of the Illyrians and the Celts contributed to its development.
In the 6th century, the clash between Slavs and Bavarians destroyed the village.
Later, in 769, the centre developed around the monastery of Benedictine monks, thanks to the concession of the duke Tassilone III of Bavaria, in order to fight the Slavs.
In 965, San Candido gained independence from the empire, thanks to the Roman emperor Otto I of Saxony.
In the late Middle Ages, the dominion extended towards the villages of Monguelfo, Abfaltersbach and Cadore; in the 13th century, some families of farmers colonized some areas that are now part of the Municipality of Tolmin, in Slovenia.
In the following years, San Candido kept its popularity as a religious center, attracting thousands of pilgrims. That is why the historical center is characterized by many places of worship, as well as by eighteenth and fourteenth century mansions.
With the outbreak of the First World War, San Candido became a hospital, due to its strategical position. In the 1918 division of the Tyrol between Austria and Italy, the municipality of San Candido was assigned to Italy for military reasons, along with two large barracks: Cantore and Druso.
Over the centuries, the economy of San Candido has always been based on agriculture and breeding, with the traditional products that have always characterized these activities.
Today, among the most important activities, there is the production of speck and the establishment of a mineral water bottling company that keeps alive the tradition of the sources of the San Candido wood, the water "Kaiserwasser", dear to Austrian emperors.
The food and wine of San Candido is based on products of the highest quality, from malga cheeses to cold cuts, from apples to forest fruits, from mushrooms to many types of bread and to excellent South Tyrolean wines.In the restaurants the quality of the eighteenth century still stands out, where traditional dishes such as venison goulash, speck dumplings, Schlutzkrapfen, similar to ravioli stuffed with spinach and ricotta, roasted chickens, luganighe and stuffed pancakes, are found. characteristic tirtlan.
Among the typical desserts, we find apple strudel, Strauben and krapfen; during the carnival period the traditional San Candido fritters are prepared, a sort of loaf of stale bread soaked in milk, mixed with flour and blueberries and fried in oil.
BY CAR
BY PLANE