Abbazia di Novacella (Neustift Monastery)
Just 3 km north of Bressanone on the Eisack valley floor, the Augustinian Abbazia di Novacella has been producing wine, beer and manuscripts since 1142. Its fairy-tale ensemble of towers, frescoed chapels and a circular fortified well is almost entirely unknown to international visitors — yet it's one of the most complete medieval monastic complexes in Central Europe.
The Monastery Grounds
The guided tour (running several times daily) takes you through the Baroque library — 70,000 volumes, ceiling frescoes, the smell of old vellum — the Gothic cloister, the Chapel of the Angel and the Church of Our Lady, whose interior is a controlled explosion of Rococo ornament.
The round Brunnenkapelle (Well Chapel) in the courtyard, built in 1198 and decorated with Romanesque carvings, is one of the most photographed structures in South Tyrol and yet almost no one outside the region knows its name.
The Winery
Novacella's estate winery produces around 700,000 bottles a year from vineyards that climb to 900 m — among the highest in Europe — making wines of electric freshness, particularly the Kerner, Sylvaner and Grüner Veltliner.
The winery shop is open without a reservation; tastings with a guide can be booked in advance and include a tour of the 12th-century cellars where barrels of Lagrein age in cool stone silence.
Combining With a Bressanone Day
Cycle the flat Eisack valley bike path from Bressanone to Novacella in under 15 minutes — the route runs beside the river through apple orchards and is entirely traffic-free.
Combine a morning monastery tour with a winery tasting and lunch at the abbey's own Stiftskeller restaurant, which serves estate wines alongside traditional South Tyrolean dishes.
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