The Schnalstal () is a

side valley Side valleys and tributary valleys are valleys whose brooks or rivers flow into greater ones. Upstream, the valleys can be classified in an increasing order which is equivalent to the usual orographic order: the tributaries are ordered from ...

of the

Vinschgau The Vinschgau, Vintschgau () or Vinschgau Valley ( ; ; ; medieval toponym: ''Finsgowe'') is the upper part of the Adige or Etsch river valley, in the western part of the province of South Tyrol, Italy. Etymology The German name ''Vinschgau'', li ...

in the

autonomous In developmental psychology and moral, political, and bioethical philosophy, autonomy is the capacity to make an informed, uncoerced decision. Autonomous organizations or institutions are independent or self-governing. Autonomy can also be defi ...

province of

South Tyrol South Tyrol ( , ; ; ), officially the Autonomous Province of Bolzano – South Tyrol, is an autonomous administrative division, autonomous provinces of Italy, province in northern Italy. Together with Trentino, South Tyrol forms the autonomo ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. It belongs almost in its entirety to the municipality of

Schnals Schnals (; ) is a '' comune'' (municipality) in the autonomous province of South Tyrol in northern Italy, located about northwest of the city of Bolzano, on the border with Austria. The municipality includes large parts of the Schnalstal. G ...

, while small parts in the entrance area lie in

Naturns Naturns (; ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) and a village in the province of South Tyrol in northern Italy, located about northwest of the city of Bolzano. Geography As of 31 December 2015, it had a population of 5,739 and an area of .All demog ...

und

Kastelbell-Tschars Kastelbell-Tschars (; ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in South Tyrol in northern Italy, located about northwest of Bolzano. Geography As of 30 November 2010, it had a population of 2,387 and an area of .All demographics and other statistics: I ...

. The

Vernagt-Stausee Lake Vernago or Vernagt-Stausee is a reservoir in Schnalstal, South Tyrol, Italy. Its water is used to generate electricity at the Etschwerke power station in the village of Naturns. The hamlet of Vernagt Vernagt am See ( Vernago) is a sma ...

reservoir is located in the valley. Braunes Bergschaf, a rare breed of domesticated sheep, is raised there. In 1991,

Ötzi Ötzi, also called The Iceman, is the natural mummy of a man who lived between 3350 and 3105 BC. Ötzi's remains were discovered on 19 September 1991, in the Ötztal Alps (hence the nickname "Ötzi", ) at the Austria–Italy border. He i ...

-- a well-preserved

natural mummy A mummy is a dead human or an animal whose soft tissues and Organ (biology), organs have been preserved by either intentional or accidental exposure to Chemical substance, chemicals, extreme cold, very low humidity, or lack of air, so that the ...

from about 3300 BC -- was found in the nearby Schnalstal glacier.

References

External links

Tourism agency of Schnalstal
* Valleys of South Tyrol {{Expand German, topic=geo, date=December 2013