Overview
At Varna/Vahrn, just north of Bressanone, a mosaic of dry walls and vineyard terraces embraces the Augustinian abbey of Novacella, a large religious and production complex where, since 1142, the Augustinian Canons have been praying, cultivating and administering their estates. In the Middle Ages, a school for copyists and a school for choral music were based here: they disseminated knowledge throughout the Tyrol. Today it houses a boarding school still managed by the Augustinians, a convention centre, an exhibition space and a museum where part of the artistic heritage accumulated by the abbots is preserved, partly looted by invasions and plundering, the last at the time of Napoleon. In addition, since ancient times, the abbey has produced high-quality wines: white, above all, because in Varna the altitude and latitude would not allow the cultivation of other grapes... Some excellent reds are also produced, Pinot Noir above all, because the abbey cellar owns significant vineyard plots further down in the valley, in areas suited to the cultivation of red grapes. The wine is still produced within the perimeter of the complex, where there is also a wine bar-restaurant that is perfect for a break with a view. Next to the dehors there are 2 gardens, one botanical and one baroque, a worthy setting for the Church of the Assumption, an abbey church rebuilt in the mid-1800s, transforming its Romanesque structure into a triumph of Baroque elegance.
