San Michele (in Ladin language called San Michiel) and the Passo Pinei represent the border between the mainly German-speaking area of Castelrotto and the Valgardena valley, which belongs to the Ladin-speaking area. San Michele is a scattered settlement that has some 100 inhabitants, its center is the Romanesque S. Michele church. It is located at 1,280 m above sea level in the east of the settlement of Tiosels.