Romedius was the son of a noble family, born in the area of a Roman military station, near Innsbruck, in what is now Thaur, Austria.

According to his hagiography he wanted to visit the friend of his youth, St. Vigilius, Bishop of Trento (who died in 405), but his horse was torn to pieces by a wild bear.

The sanctuary where Romedio lived with his bear companion is a complex of several churches, from the Romanesque period to the 20th century beyond a gateway in the forested slopes.

Votive offerings of crutches line the walls of the narrow stone stairwell up to the highest chapel, said to mark the site of the saint's retreat.

In remembrance of this legend, in 1958 Italian Senator G. G. Gallarati Scotti, honorary member of the committee for the foundation of the World Wildlife Fund in Italy, purchased Charlie, a bear intended to be killed, and donated it to the Sanctuary of San Romedio, in the Valle di Non.