Val di Funes – St. Magdalena and St John Churches Viewpoints, Dolomites, Italy

The St. Magdalena and St. John Churches’ viewpoints in Val di Funes are two of the most iconic landmarks in the Dolomites.

The two churches, called Santa Maddalena and San Giovanni in Italian, could not be built in more scenic spots. With their idyllic surroundings and the stunning backdrop of the Dolomites’ Odle group, both churches look straight out of a fairy tale.

St. Magdalena’s Church in Val di Funes, with the Odle group in the background.

It is easy to see why this is such a popular location. This is a landscape photographer’s favorite in the Dolomites. And, regardless of whether you are a photographer or not, it’s a beautiful sport to visit, even for a short stroll.

The small St. John Church, with the Odle group in the background.

Val di Funes, also called Villnöss Valley in German, is located in Trentino Alto Adige and is easily reachable via the A22 (Brenner) Motorway.

There were two distinct viewpoints, one for each of the two churches, that you could easily walk to from St. Maddalena, the small village where the Churches are located.

After-sunset long exposure of the St. Magdalena Church.

Table of Contents

Overview of the St. Magdalena and St. John Churches Trail & Map

Visiting the Santa Magdalena and Saint John churches in Ranui requires a little walking, and both can be visited in the same loop. So for that purpose, you can use any of the parking spaces available in Ranui.

Note that while there is a parking area right next to the St. John church, you cannot drive to the St. Magdalena church viewpoint. So you can just park the car in one place and leave it there till the end of your visit.

Here is the map of this short hike. You can both download the GPX file and see exactly where each photo on the maps was taken:

How to get to St. Magdalena and Parking

Santa Maddalena is at the valley’s far end, and you can only get there from one direction, which is

• Driving Directions: From the A22 Highway, take the Chiusa/Val Gardena exit, then follow directions to Bressanone and then to Val di Funes. It takes about 40/45 minutes from the highway exit to get to the small village of St. Magdalena. Another option is from Passo delle Erbe, though that is a narrow mountain pass road only open in summer.
• Parking: There are several different paid parking spaces in St. Magdalena. I usually park here, at the Putzen Parking. See the photo of the local map below for a full overview of all the parking spaces.
• Public Transport: Bus 330 from Bressanone’s Train station and Bus 331 from Chiusa stop here. More info on: suedtirolmobil.info

Map of the parking spaces – and services – in Ranui. From a local board.

St. John (Giovanni) in Ranui Church Viewpoint

The Church of Saint John in Ranui is the easiest to get to. Typically, the first one to be visited by most, too.

From any of the parking areas in Ranui, you can easily walk up the same road you came from to the viewpoint, which is a rather narrow observation deck, on the side of the road. It can get crowded, but the turnaround is quite fast, so you should be able to get a spot

The Observation deck.

While the view ng platform is quite narrow, it is fairly wide, so there is plenty ty of room to move around. Still, the fence is quite high, so compositions are somewhat limited.

St. John in Ranui

The Little Saint John Church is on private ground, too, but you can pay to view it, should you wish to do so. Anyway, this is usually a relatively quick stop as the observation deck is small and the church is also a short walk away.

From here, you then have two options to get to the next viewpoint of the Santa Maddalena church.

You can also follow the road sign for each Photo Spot.

St. Magdalena in Villnöß Church Viewpoint

Getting to the Saint Maddalena Church viewpoint requires a little more walking, but it’s all on paved roads – except for a few viewpoints. As I mentioned, there are two main ways to get there from the previous stop.

St. Magdalena Church.

From Saint John in Ranui’s church, there are actually a couple of ways to reach the Saint Magdalena Church viewpoint. In both cases, you’ll find both road signs pointing to the photo spot and signs painted on the pavement, too.

One way is to follow the main road uphill. The other is through the town of St. Magdalena, exactly the two sides of the loop hike on the map below. And, you can again follow the signs.

The viewpoint is up above the town of St. Magdalena, and as you progress up the hill, the panoramic views will also open up.

So the entire trail offers fantastic views of the church and the Dolomiti’s Odle group in the background, just from several different viewpoints.

This viewpoint is a good place to stay. I did spend about two hours there taking photos from different angles, well before and after sunset.

And, even if you are not taking any photos, just sitting and enjoying the landscape while the sun slowly sets for the day is just magic.

Vald di Funes/Villnöß – St. John and St. Magdalena Viewpoint Photos and Photography Tips

This is a very popular photo spot, so expect it to be rather crowded. Both locations will be crowded, especially the Saint Magdalena church viewpoint at sunset.

Viewpoint of the St. Magdalena church. usually rather crowded.

I’d personally recommend visiting St. John Church first to catch the golden light of the late afternoon, and then move up to the Saint Magdalena Church later to catch the last light of the day hitting the Odle and then sunset.

The photos you see of St. John in Ranui’s church were taken at focal lengths between 50-60mm, full frame. The Photos of the St. Magdalena church in between 45-50mm, again full frame. So you need a medium zoom.

However, if there is one advice I would give, that would be to…stay until twilight!

The reason for this is that the peaks of the Odle group will catch the afterglow of the sunset, something the Dolomites are famous for. And, taking a long exposure will help bring out the saturated colors.

The photo below is a 90-second long exposure, you can see light trails from cars and street lamps if you look closely.

90-second long exposure during twilight.

Lastly, you’re most likely to have the place all to yourself, as most of the other visitors would start leaving as soon as the last light hits the tallest peaks of the Odle group.

Where to stay

There are a few hotels and many guesthouses in St. Magdalena, so if you can find a spot available, that’s a great option. The closest “big” town is Bressanone, back down in the valley.

If you are in a camper or in a van, there is a private campground you can stay at – and camping is forbidden elsewhere in the municipality.

Additional Resources

• Here’s the main page on Hiking in Italy for more hikes and scenic spots in Italy.
• Val di Funes official Website.