Klausen/Chiusa –One of the Most Beautiful Old Towns in Italy

“I borghi più belli d’Italia” – the most beautiful small towns in Italy

Besides Klausen, the other South Tyrolean locations to feature among the “Borghi più belli d’Italia” (Italian for “the most beautiful small towns in Italy”) are Sterzing/Vipiteno, Kastelruth/Castelrotto, Neumarkt/Egna and Glurns/ Glorenza. This initiative was established by the National Association of Italian Municipalities to preserve the cultural, historical and environmental heritage of small towns in Italy.

What impression did Klausen leave on Goethe and a young Mozart as their carriages wound their way along its bumpy narrow streets during their trips through Italy? And how about Albrecht Dürer when he sat in a secluded spot opposite Säben Abbey to paint this enchanting town on the Eisack river in 1494? For an idea, follow in these historic figures’ footsteps by visiting this hidden gem of a small town brimming with medieval charm.

Over the years, Klausen’s old town has inspired numerous renowned artists and is still full of the vibrancy of these days gone by. It’s easy to see why Klausen has been listed among “I borghi più belli d’Italia” (the most beautiful small towns in Italy) since 2002, an honour that it shares with only a select few towns.

Stroll through the old town and you’ll find a maze of narrow lanes, hidden corners and squares all tucked away behind the rows of impressive houses with their elaborately designed oriel windows and colourful façades.

To learn about Klausen’s history and importance to the art world, head to the town’s museum in the garden of the former Capuchin monastery, where you can visit a permanent exhibition on the Klausen Art Colony (1874–1914) and its famous representative Alexander Koester klausen.it

(1864–1932). In the adjacent Capuchin monastery, you can find the Treasure of Loreto, a unique, valuable collection of artwork that was gifted to Klausen by Queen Maria Anna of Spain in around 1700. In 1986, a large proportion of the collection was sensationally stolen, but following a painstaking search – and a few strokes of luck and coincidences! – it was almost all recovered by 2014.

A mysterious sight up in the clouds, Säben Abbey has been towering over Klausen from atop its steep rocky outcrop for centuries. Although the gates to this former Benedictine nunnery remain closed to the public, you can visit the churches.

Locals have been growing wine on the sun-drenched slopes around the abbey for hundreds of years. Who knows –Dürer or other artists visiting the town may well have sought inspiration by sipping on a glass. Then as now, Klausen is the perfect blend of traditional and modern, as diverse, vibrant and unique as the sometimes calm, sometimes gushing water of the Eisack river flowing through it.