Valle Aurina

Valle Aurina is the northernmost valley in Italy and it’s the last South Tyrolean mountain resort which was discovered by mass tourism. Valle Aurina seems to have a very cold climate and steep mountains; actually its farms are the steepest in South Tyrol. Its inhabitants have been isolated for a very long time, that’s why they still speak a peculiar dialect even nowadays; infact they call themselves “Tölderer”. Valle Aurina is encircled by 14 mountains peaks which overpass 3000 meters; that’s why Valle Aurina is very popular among hikers. Its most famous peaks are: the Schwarzenstein, the Zillertaler Alps, the High Tauern Alps, the Hundskehl mountain massif and the Waldner lake; when it booms, it announces bad weather.

Valle Aurina history

The human presence in Valle Aurina has been documented in the Bronze Age already. The symbol of the mining activity in Valle Aurina is the Predoi Mine; now it hosts the South Tyrolean Mine Museum. This copper mine was very important for the valley economy for 500 years. Predoi still hosts noble palaces, which symbolize its inhabitants wealth level, obtained thanks to commerce and copper extraction. The mine was closed in 1893, when  markets were flooded with American copper. Other Valle Aurina activities are: wood carving in roots and the tumble lace production.