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Valley of Tures and Aurina

Valley of Tures and Aurina

The valley of Tures and Aurina stretches north of Brunico, from Gais to Predoi. It is crossed by the Aurino stream, from which it takes its name and is one of the most interesting areas of the Dolomites to visit.

Its side valleys of Riva and Selva dei Molini represent an excellent alternative to crowding in high seasons, and even if small, this valley will really surprise you.

A little big discovery!

TOP 5 NOT TO BE MISSED

Visit Castel Tures

Reaching the Vetta d’Italia

Skiing on Speikboden

Entering the copper mine of Predoi

Hiking to the Riva di Tures Falls

GAIS

At the entrance to the valley lies Gais, on the edge of the nature reserve Vedrette di Ries-Aurina. Gais is in an ideal position because it is far from the crowded centre, but close to every comfort: Brunico can be reached with a walk through pastures and meadows along the Aurino, a river that crosses the entire valley. And if you prefer to discover nature by bike, you’ll find the cycle paths in front of your front door. A cycling network connects Gais to the most beautiful mountain bike trails in the area.

And right here there is a very curious and unique museum: the South Tyrolean Firemen’s Helm Museum, with more than 700 pieces on show.

Gais is the home of Christof Innerhofer, known as “Inner”: one of the most successful alpine skiers of the moment.

Gais also includes the localities of Villa Ottone and Rio Molino.

Foto  © IDM Alto Adige Josef Gorfer

MUHLWALD/ SELVA DEI MULINI

Surrounded by the massive Zillertal Alps, Selva dei Molini is located in the homonymous valley. It is not by chance that it is called this way: old mills are built throughout the village as well as in the surrounding area and exploit the numerous rivers in the valley. The magical landscape that emerges is really something idyllic and romantic. From this picture, we suggest you to start the tour of the Malghe in the Natural Park of the Vedrette di Ries-Aurina: a wonderful excursion for more adventurous or less experienced hikers.

In winter, the Tamarix Family Park adventure park will guarantee you a complete absence from boredom. Particularly popular are bobsleigh rides, snow shoes and rubber dinghies, which you can use to speed down into the valley even during the evening hours. Fun on the snow and on holiday in its purest form!

Don’t miss the locality of Selva, Lappago (Lappach), a tiny village near Lake Neves, from where you can admire the peaks of the Zillertal that stand out majestically above you: Punta Bianca, Gran Mesule and Cima di Campo.

Lake Neves is the starting point for various excursions, such as the Porro refuge or the Ponte di Ghiaccio refuge, which are connected by the Alta Via di Neves, a beautiful circular excursion for trained mountaineers.

If your legs weren’t roe-deer legs, then we would say you should opt for one of the four themed routes in the Valle di Selva dei Molini, such as the romantic Gola di Lappago.

PREDOI

If you’re wondering which is the northernmost town in Italy, well, you’re in full swing!

The history of the country is closely linked to the copper mine, which was already in full operation in 1400. Today there is the possibility to visit the first 950 meters on board a train: entering the heart of this mine is an experience to be done! Not far from the mines, even the Museum will amaze you with the reconstruction of the history that surrounds this place.

It may also be important to know that inside the mine there is a Climate Centre: it is a place of great peace in the belly of the earth, where anyone can regenerate and find inner peace, leaving out everyday life. The particular microclimate of the gallery can provide relief to various diseases of the upper respiratory tract. A bit Zen, a bit spa.

Foto © IDM Alto Adige Josef Hackhofer

Foto © IDM Alto Adige Hansi Heckmair

SAND IN TAUFERS / CAMPO TURES

The main village, Campo Tures, is a charming village where Burg Taufers/Castel Tures watches over, a wonderful and well-preserved medieval castle, used as an attractive location in various dramas and films. Visiting this castle is a must, especially for the armoury, the “Princes’ Room” and the basement.

The capital of the Valle Aurina is located at an altitude of 364 metres directly in the Vette Ries-Aurina Nature Park and is also home to one of the park’s visitor centres.

From the centre of Campo Tures you can follow the path 2a that will lead you to discover one of the small but big corners of this valley: the waterfalls of Riva di Tures.

Like all city centres of a certain level, Campo Tures will delight you with its restaurants and modern cafés: an aperitif in the centre, perhaps with a view of the Castle, is not really bad.

Campo Tures has five localities: Molini di Tures, Caminata, Acereto, Riva di Tures and Drittelsand. All to be discovered!

AHRNTAL / VALLE AURINA

Val Aurina is one of the most authentic areas of South Tyrol and includes the villages of Lutago, Cadipietra, San Giacomo, San Giovanni, San Pietro and Rio Bianco.

Lutago: small and cosy, this village hosts the “Maranatha” Nativity Museum, which offers a unique view on the world of craftsmanship and artistic carving in the Val Aurina.

San Giacomo is no less important, however, and can be considered as the capital of wood carving. Local craftsmanship is still very much alive today. Just think that until some time ago there was a school here founded on this art, which now has its headquarters in Brunico. The local artists have managed to maintain the traditional art of carving masks until today: in the Sculpture Garden you can admire a selection of these authentic treasures.

For a long time, the simple way of life and ancient customs have played an important role in St. John’s, and are still part of the daily lives of the locals. If, for example, you particularly like this aspect, we would like to point out that every Sunday and on feast days you can proudly wear the traditional costume of the Val Aurina.

Those in search of peace and relaxation will find in St. Peter’s endless possibilities to regenerate and escape from everyday life. The small tourist resort is located at 1,345 meters above sea level. On the northern side of the “Klamme”, a deep furrow carved by the stream, in the middle of meadows and an intact landscape. The parish church of St. Peter dates back to 1600 and is located on the slope of the mountain. The traditional village festival takes place every year in October and culminates in the raising of the “Michlbaum” tree.

The last village in Val Aurina to be mentioned is the idyllic Rio Bianco, located at an altitude of 1,334 metres in a small side valley of the Valle Aurina, which can be reached from Lutago. The small river of glacial origin that crosses it has a particularly clear colour, almost like milk. This peculiar characteristic has given the name to the place.

You will feel like you are in a picture here too and its indisputable beauty has been preserved for years thanks to a very narrow road that connected Rio Bianco with the rest of the world. Certainly far from mass tourism, Rio Bianco is the ideal place to rest your eyes and ears. And to confirm this, a special experience are also the Health Trails of Rio Bianco: a Kneipp trail, a Herb Trail and a Meditation Trail. At the various stations, the visitor is invited to do good to his body and spirit. The winter highlights are the 10 km long cross-country ski run and two adventurous toboggan runs. If you are fascinated by the close contact with the cold element, you will find numerous vertical ice climbing walls here.

Foto © IDM Alto Adige Harald Wisthaler

CURIOSITies

As we told you, Tures Castle has been a favourite location for many dramas, from small screen fictions to more committed films with unforgettable protagonists. In ” La più bella serata della mia vita”, by Ettore Scola and with Alberto Sordi, it will be fun to recognize Burg Taufers in the various shots!

WINTER ACTIVITIES

In the small Val Aurina you will not expect all this activity, but you must know that despite its size you can give vent to all your desire for winter!

Two ski areas, cross-country trails with panoramic views, snowshoeing in beautiful landscapes.

Foto © IDM Alto Adige Harald Wisthaler

Foto © IDM Alto Adige Hansi Heckmair

SUMMER ACTIVITIES

In summer, walk along the paths of Tures and Aurina and taste the fresh cheese from its farms: your taste buds will be awakened!

For your training at high altitude, we also recommend you reach the Vetta d’Italia (Glockenkarkopf), the northernmost point of Italy.

If you prefer peace and quiet, Val Aurina has several routes in the heart of nature, it’s up to you to choose! In addition, even families here will not be bored: in the various theme parks every child will find his or her moment of leisure and fun!

From May to October you can enjoy rafting in the Aurino stream with canoeing and kayaking: at Capo Tures you can find the information centre and exit points.

EXCURSIONISTIC AND SCIISTIC AREAS

The side valleys of Riva and Selva dei Molini can also be considered as hiking and skiing areas.

In the winter season in Val di Riva it is possible to get lost in numerous trails for interesting snowshoeing and long trekking. Two ski lifts that serve easy slopes guarantee a certain movement even on skis. As far as summer is concerned, this valley, which is only 15 kilometres long, is the perfect place to train your legs with trekking and biking, perhaps as far as the Gola Pass, the border with Austria or the enchanting waterfalls of Riva.

The Molini Valley stretches from Molini di Tures to Lappago. From this last place there are panoramic excursions, surrounded by the highest peaks of the area. The excursion to Lake Neves is an excellent example, both in summer and in the winter, where you will be surrounded by the Gran Pilastro, Gran Vedretta and Punta Bianca, the imposing peaks of the Zillertal Alps. Also in this case, after a nice walk, the advice is to regenerate in one of the beautiful refuges (Chemnitzerhütte or Edeltrauthütte) or malgas in the area, such as Malga Neves or Innerhofer.

The Klausberg and Speikboden ski areas, with their lifts Riobianco and Riva di Tures, together form the Skiworld Ahrntal. More than 74 kilometres of pistes and 21 lifts from 950 to 2,510 metres above sea level await you and take you to the top. Thanks to the latest generation of lifts, the slopes are always 100% perfectly prepared. What are you waiting for?

Foto © IDM Alto Adige Manuel Kottersteger

Foto © Alto Adige Hansi Heckmair

SPEIKBODEN

Coming from Brunico, the first area you will find is Speikboden, home of Christof Innerhofer, one of the best alpine skiers of recent years. If you are a ski enthusiast, we tell you that you can often find him during his training sessions or meetings with fans.

The Speikboden is also equipped with a beautiful fun park that can satisfy the fans of stunts with snowboarding or skiing.

In summer, this area turns into a hiking paradise, where you will find the Speikboden via ferrata, which will take you up to 2500 meters above sea level with a picturesque crossing over a Tibetan bridge … Brrrr…!

natural parks

Rieserferner-Ahrn Nature Park

We would like to introduce you to the largest protected area in Europe: the Rieserferner-Ahrn Nature Park together with the Austrian Hohe Tauern National Park and the Zillertaler Hauptkamm is a heavenly area where you can dive into nature. Waterfalls, lakes, breathtaking views surround your trekking with images to be captured in your heart and with your camera. The entire Val Aurina lies in the Nature Park and we recommend that you visit the visitor centre in Campo Tures to organise your excursions in the best possible way.

In its 31,505 hectares you can find the golden eagle, the peregrine falcon and the eagle owl, as well as snails and cruises. Among the mammals: the marmot, the squirrels, the chamois and the fox.

There are many refuges and mountain huts where you can stop after the long hours of trekking: Roma refuge, Tridentina refuge, Malga Lahner. From the Tridentina refuge you can reach the Vetta d’Italia, the northernmost point in Italy, via a normal route or via ferrata. An opportunity not to be missed for lovers of the genre!