{"id":11124,"date":"2016-10-13T17:31:24","date_gmt":"2016-10-13T15:31:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ecobnb.com\/blog\/?p=11124"},"modified":"2017-02-06T20:30:55","modified_gmt":"2017-02-06T19:30:55","slug":"moos-in-passeier-south-tyrol","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ecobnb.com\/blog\/2016\/10\/moos-in-passeier-south-tyrol\/","title":{"rendered":"Moos in Passeier, a car-free village in South Tyrol"},"content":{"rendered":"

Living in the\u00a0Alps, we get used to\u00a0fight, and also to work with struggling to find a balance with nature<\/strong>, to seek new ideas and solutions to survive here in the mountains. Konrad Pamer, young tourism councilor of the municipality of Moos in Passeier (South Tyrol), tell us about he alpine life in front of a plate of Kn\u00f6del<\/em> with nettles (collected a few meters from the tavern) flavored with local Malga cheeses.<\/p>\n

The inhabitants of Moos in Passeier fifteen years ago fought for their energy<\/strong> independence<\/strong> and sustainable mobility<\/strong>. It was not easy, but this stubborn and combative community has achieved a major goals, a public hydroelectric power station<\/strong>\u00a0in their village\u00a0between the Alps of South Tyrol<\/strong>, 45 minutes from Merano. So, today the villages of Moos in Passeier exploit the water, abundant in their valley, to produce 100% clean energy<\/strong>, that they also sell to neighboring municipalities and other valleys.<\/p>\n

\"Moos<\/p>\n

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This is just the beginning of the history of Moos in Passeier, which twenty years ago was a poor and at risk depopulation (like many communities in the Alps) alpine village, and now, even though small (the municipality has only one mayor and four councilors), is one of the richest<\/strong> municipalities<\/strong> in South Tyrol. Thank to the sustainable choices that the town has made is now one of the Alpine Pearls (which we have already talked about here<\/a>).<\/p>\n

The conversation is animated, and in the meantime Alberich<\/strong> reaches us, a resident of Plan and horse lover. With his tanned\u00a0face and the smile on the lips of those who really love their work, he tells us about the\u00a0horse-drawn carriage tours<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Sustainable<\/p>\n

The small village of Plan, a hamlet of Moos in Passeier at\u00a01,600 meters above sea level, once\u00a0was only a handful of farms<\/strong> in the mountains. Today it has 220 inhabitants, 24 children, a school, several hotels and restaurants, a shop and some craft workshops, an efficient public transport service<\/strong> that connects the village\u00a0to\u00a0Moos in Passeier every half hour. Public transport is free<\/strong> for all students and the elderly, and very convenient for the people who pay based on the number of kilometers traveled (more km you make, the less you spend!).<\/p>\n

Plan a few years ago made a courageous<\/strong> choice<\/strong>: focus on sustainable<\/strong>\u00a0mobility<\/strong> and keep vehicles out of the village<\/strong>. So the streets and squares of Moos in Passeier are now populated with children playing ball and people walking. The cars, which pass rarely, are those of the residents and guests, who can overcome the barriers of access with a special code. In the small village of Plan there’s\u00a0an authentic atmosphere. The old wooden farmhouses bring you back in time, people are friendly and often dressed in traditional clothes, the air is pure and in\u00a0summer season the only background noise is that of cow bells strolling in the surrounding pastures.<\/p>\n

\"free<\/p>\n

We are really curious to find out how this noise came to life, so we ask alderman Konrad Pamer, here’s what he\u00a0answers:<\/p>\n

When and how he joined the municipality of Moos in Passeier to Alpine Pearls?<\/h4>\n

Moos in Passeier has joined the network of Alpine Pearls from the start in 2010, but the idea of \u200b\u200bdoing something in the field of sustainable mobility<\/strong> was even earlier. Since 2007 we have decided to undertake a pilot project to build the first car-free village of South Tyrol<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

We chose Plan for this pilot project because it is t at the end of the valley, and also because it is a compact village\u00a0that is near the ski slopes, which has more tourists than any other hamlets\u00a0of the town.<\/p>\n

We decided that car should have been kept out of the village\u00a0and we even built a parking lot with a green roof to make\u00a0cars invisible.<\/p>\n

\"Moos<\/p>\n

What is the town\u2019s experience of sustainable tourism that you\u2019d like to recommend to our readers?<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Surely visiting<\/strong> Plan<\/strong>, getting there in citybus<\/strong> from Moos, and take the beautiful white<\/strong> train<\/strong> that takes you directly on the ski slopes. Or try a horse-drawn carriage tour from Plan to the ancient farms\u00a0with stops to taste local cheeses.<\/p>\n\n\t\t