The Maso Plattner Beekeeping Museum is located on a hill in Costalovara on the Renon Plateau above Bolzano. It offers a comprehensive introduction to bees and their world, providing insights not only into honey extraction but also into how bees live, see and perceive the nature around them. The farmstead also features ancient tools, a traditional farmer’s garden, a pond, historic apiaries, an educational trail, play areas and a shop where visitors can purchase products made on the farm, such as honey, jams, pollen, royal jelly and soaps.
Maso Plattner
Maso Plattner is one of the oldest farmsteads on the Renon Plateau and perhaps the only one to have preserved its original local architecture. Inside, visitors can admire ancient doors, the roof structure, the rooms and various well‑preserved objects. The thatched roof with larch shingles and rye straw, the medieval corridor leading from the entrance to the different rooms, the vaulted ceiling and the Gothic‑style doors all reflect centuries of rural life. For generations, speck and other cured meats were smoked here, and meat was stored during the winter.
In the old kitchen, people cooked over an open fire until 1976, and water was drawn from the outdoor fountain. Electricity was installed only after the restoration. From the kitchen, one can access the toilet—considered a luxury at the time, as it was usually located outside the house. The Stube was the only heated room in winter: farmers would lie on the benches near the stove. On the dining table, placed in the “Lord’s corner” and decorated with religious images, a single large pan was set from which everyone ate directly. After the meal, the cutlery was licked clean and placed near the window. The Stube also preserves a rope‑twisting tool, family photographs, a spinning wheel and old books.
Next to the Stube is the bedroom, containing many personal belongings of the last owner of Maso Plattner: her Sunday dress, a cabinet with a built‑in chamber pot, a frame holding a braid of hair, a 1913 sewing machine, a chest and the bed that replaced the earlier straw sack covered with cushions, where farmers used to sleep half‑sitting.
Also near the Stube is the Judge’s Room, with its characteristic cross vault and the inscription “1446”. In the Middle Ages, this room was used for legal proceedings, as the judicial seat was located in Vanga. Later, it served as a storage room for provisions, with a grain cupboard, bowls, a butter churn and a mesh container to protect food from insects.
The Beekeeping Museum
Maso Plattner houses the Beekeeping Museum. In the old stable, various traditional beekeeping tools are preserved, such as straw basket hives, wax presses, a steam wax melter, a press for making wax sheets to help bees rebuild honeycombs more quickly, moulds for beeswax candles, old German‑style hives, historic honey extractors and tools such as brushes, smokers and knives.
In the main hall of the museum—formerly the hayloft—traditional and modern farming tools are displayed, including modern storage hives, frames and equipment for producing pollen and propolis.
During the guided tour, visitors learn about the life of bees, how different bee products are made, and can watch multimedia projections on a large screen to explore various topics in depth.
The Educational Trail
The educational trail allows visitors to immerse themselves in the world of bees, learn about the life cycle of the worker bee, understand how a bee sees and senses its surroundings, discover how its sense of touch works, and read poems and biblical passages about bees—evidence of the importance this small insect has held since ancient times.
The Hill and Surroundings
Around the farmstead, visitors can explore the farmer’s garden, the pond with rare water lilies—once a water reserve for firefighting and filled manually or by rainwater—historic apiaries, and the chapel of Saint Ambrose, patron saint of bees and beekeepers. Nearby stands a tree trunk with sliding wooden panels engraved with biblical texts about bees. The area also features ancient fruit trees, including two pear trees over 150 years old.
Opening Hours and Prices
The museum is open from April to October, every day from 10:00 to 18:00 (last admission at 17:00).
Admission prices (guided tour included):
Children under 6: free
Children 6–12: €5.00
Adults: €8.00
Families (2+1): €15.00
Groups (over 8 people): €6.00 per person
Schools / kindergartens: €6.00 per child
How to Get There
After reaching the Renon Plateau with the cable car from Bolzano, the Beekeeping Museum can be reached by taking the Renon Train from Soprabolzano.
