Reach for the Stars
How amateur astronomer Stephanie Wolters made a star village her home
Stephanie Wolters doesn’t believe in fate. She also doesn’t believe in astrology – not least because the stars have long shifted position since the zodiac was drawn up. And yet, the stars must have aligned for her when she moved from her native Germany to the Eggental valley. The amateur astronomer is completely at home here, where the night sky is vaster and the stars brighter than anywhere else she’s ever been.
“Light pollution is so low here that you can see the sky in all its glory. It’s a real privilege.”
When Stephanie Wolters holidayed in South Tyrol over 40 years ago, she fell in love twice: with Günther, the man she later married, and with the Rosengarten peaks, which are famous far and wide for their red glow at sunset. Back then, she had no idea that she would one day call the Eggental valley home. But that’s exactly what happened in 2004, when she, her husband and their two children started a new life in Steinegg/Collepietra.
“I can’t imagine living anywhere better,” says Stephanie, who is originally from Germany’s Rhineland and has worked as a teacher for many years. Steinegg’s location on a high plateau affords sweeping views of the Rosengarten by day and makes the stars seem close enough to touch by night. It’s the perfect place for a passionate stargazer like Stephanie. In fact, Steinegg and the neighbouring village of Gummer/San Valentino in Campo are among the best places in Italy for watching the stars, and, in 2018, were even awarded gold by Astronomitaly for their beautiful night skies. As Stephanie explains, this is partly down to measures by the local authority: “Light pollution is so low here that you can see the sky in all its glory. It’s a real privilege.”
Even as a four-year-old, Stephanie would stare up in wonder at the sky every night, bombarding her father with questions. She was desperate to know what was lighting up the sky, why the Moon orbits Earth and how hot the Sun is. Once she could read, she devoured factual books on nature and outer space, although she later decided (for practical reasons, she tells us) to study linguistics.
She never lost her childhood fascination for the stars and kept seeking out books, talks and courses – anything related to astronomy that she could find. In the 2010s, a friend introduced her to the Max Valier amateur astronomy society and today she and her husband are committed members. The society operates the public observatory in Gummer on behalf of the local authority of Karneid/Cornedo all’Isarco. For Stephanie, it’s become a second home.
Constructed in 2002 on a meadow around 1,350 metres above sea level, the astronomical observatory is also named after South Tyrolean space pioneer Max Valier and offers outstanding panoramic views. “Before it was built, I often sat with my children on this exact meadow to marvel at the starry sky,” she recalls. A solar observatory was added to the site in 2006. And in 2012, a task force dedicated to boosting tourism in Steinegg and Gummer with the support of the European Regional Development Fund set about turning the area into a “star village” (Sternendorf – Astrovillaggio). “This has opened up new ways for us to get more people interested in astronomy,” says Stephanie.
Besides the astronomical and solar observatory, visitors to the star village will find a sundial, the Planet Path, the Path of the Stars hiking trails, the South Tyrolean Planetarium and a host of exciting guided tours and events. The volunteer members of the Max Valier society work hard to bring the night sky to life for locals and visitors in and around Gummer, and Stephanie Wolters plays a key role here.
It’s a long time since Stephanie, who now has four grandchildren, was seen as a Zuagroaste (newcomer). With her South Tyrolean dialect and perfect Italian, it’s impossible to tell that she’s from Germany. “I wouldn’t have got on with my parents-in-law nearly as well if I hadn’t learnt the dialect so quickly,” she smiles. “Or with Watten,” she adds, referring to the card game that is part and parcel of life here.
The Eggental valley holds a special place in her heart – and not only because of the stars. She also speaks highly of the locals or Stoaneggner as they are known, who have always been so welcoming. Even when she moved her father from Germany to Steinegg so she could care for him, he soon became part of the village community once he learnt to use the customary greeting Griaß Gott.
Whenever Stephanie leads guided tours or nighttime hikes, she looks excitedly through the telescope herself and is constantly blown away by the vastness of space. “The night sky changes daily. I’m forever discovering something new that sparks my curiosity,” she says. Over the years, this has led her to develop a second passion for astrophotography. It all began with the Northern Lights in Norway, “a phenomenon that lit a flame inside of me”. She has since built up a huge archive of printed and, more recently, digital photos encompassing many thousands of shots of celestial bodies and constellations.
On clear winter nights, Stephanie often spends hours watching the stars in remote corners of South Tyrol, a flask of coffee under her arm to ward off the bitter cold. Temperatures as low as minus 20 degrees Celsius don’t deter her. “When I’m gazing up at the sky and photographing the stars, I’m so full of adrenaline that I hardly feel the cold.” That said, she also often takes photos from the comfort of her home. “I have the most spectacular views of the night sky from right outside my front door. What more could I want?”
Excerpt from: Eggental Magazine, 2025
Text: Edith Runer
Editorial team: Exlibris, Bozen
Path of the Stars
The Path of the Stars connects the two villages of Gummer/San Valentino in Campo and Steinegg/Collepietra. Join mascot Luxi on this 12.2-kilometre hike (3.5 hours walking time) to discover the secrets of the universe. Your journey into space begins at an enormous camera in Gummer and continues past seven interactive stations featuring constellations, a date sundial and a star chart. You’ll also pass the astronomical and solar observatory and a rocket tree house for young astronomers. The route finishes at the Mini Star Trail in Steinegg, which is illuminated in the colours of the stars every evening.
