Around the holiday area of Castelbello-Ciardes/Kastelbell-Tschars, apple orchards extend as far as the eye can see. The Venosta Valley is an arid, sunny valley during the day with cool winds at night. This climate allows the cultivation of excellent fruit. Consequently, the farmers of this area turned these special climatic conditions to their advantage. Water channels were created hundreds of years ago to protect the valley from droughts and floods. This simple but effective irrigation method, together with the altitude provide the unique flavor of the crisp Venosta Valley apples.

Today, a total of about 1,700 family farms grow apples in the Venosta Valley with annually more than 300,000 tons of the healthy fruit. They operate according to strict guidelines in quality cooperatives.