In South Tyrol, also known as Sudtirol, lies Valle Aurina: 200 square kilometers, stretching from Lutago to Predoi, with as many as 80 peaks exceeding 3000 meters. Valle Aurina is a skiing paradise with 70 kilometers of slopes at the Speikboden and Klausberg ski resorts. Around it, endless activities for both winter and summer: ice skating, curling, and snowshoeing when ice reigns; freeride, mountaineering, and high altitude hiking when the snow gives way to incredible alpine greenery.
This is the kingdom of mountain biking, ideal for both cycling enthusiasts (who can pedal on trails leading to 1500 meters altitude and beyond) and families who want to enjoy breathtaking views and have fun riding on easy flat trails.
What to See in Valle Aurina
The valley is accessed through a magnificent gateway: Campo Tures, awarded the Orange Flag by the Touring Club for being a welcoming and excellent village. Because here hospitality is on par with the splendid work of nature, which in these skyward rises has given its best: for the truly fresh air, as demonstrated by the Predoi Climatic Center, for the views that open your eyes wide, starting with the Vedrette di Ries Nature Park, for the bright trails, like the Sentiero del Sole between Lutago and San Pietro, for the ever-moving waters such as the Rio Nero waterfall, and for the calm and welcoming ones, like Lake Chiusetta at Klausberg in Cadipietra. BUT it doesn’t end there: in Predoi you find an ancient disused copper mine, transformed into a modern climatic center. Opened in 2003, the Predoi climatic gallery is Italy’s first speleotherapy center since it preserves pure air, a true elixir for lung and bronchial health, an effective remedy for those suffering from respiratory disorders like allergies and asthma. The environment, comfortable and relaxing, allows reading, listening to music, or sleeping, while the “underground breath” delivers its beneficial effects.
This small secret valley embraced by mountains carefully preserves ancient traditions: the patient bobbin lace weaving, the laborious wood carving, the protection of alpine pastures and huts, the return of livestock to summer pastures, rituals that continue unchanged and revive in modern South Tyrolean cuisine as well, which features genuine Slow Food cheeses and strong alpine wines, ideal for a sensory vacation. But also for the mind: small churches and castles, including one of the best-preserved in the region, Schloss Taufers, exciting museums such as the Predoi Copper Mines museum, a piece of mountain heart you enter by train, where it’s easy to get lost in the story of a valley that is more than just skiing.
The Sentiero del Sole
The route of the Sentiero del Sole lasts about 7 hours but it’s not necessary to complete it all at once. Because beyond the main route, there is a whole network of thematic short trails designed to not miss any of the miracles of the Valley. The Sentiero del Sole route follows the footsteps of past smugglers, gifting a rainbow of waterfalls or letting you taste the flavors of alpine farms.
The Kneipp Trails in Valle Aurina, in the Heart of the Dolomites
The Kneipp Trails, named after the German who first experimented with their properties, are exceptional. They are water walks that make your legs feel light, a true health path for circulatory disorders.
For these hydrotherapy trails, bare feet are needed, stepping on river pebbles, icy water to reactivate blood circulation and then Valle Aurina which is abundant in it. Here, at Italy’s northernmost point in Alto Adige/Südtirol, right in the center of the Dolomites, water is a perfect and plentiful element, so much so that the valley’s name seems to derive from “Awerina,” a pre-Roman term indicating running water. So in the Plan de Corones tourist region, from Lutago to Predoi, walking barefoot is good for you. You can cover kilometers with refreshing and free breaks.
The Rio Bianco Trails
To feel light immediately, try the walk starting from Rio Bianco, a small mountain village where you can find time to care for yourself. From here start the Health Trails, a cure-all against modern cardiovascular diseases, primarily caused by sedentary lifestyles and stress. In this route, the three pillars of Kneipp therapy each find their place. There’s a part dedicated to phytotherapy, the Herb Garden, a sun-exposed path in the middle of blooming wild mountain plants. Then the Physical Activity Path, which according to Kneipp (and beyond) helps strengthen the body if alternated with pleasant rest moments. Finally, the actual Kneipp path: a basin, a Kneipp staircase in the woods, and waterfalls acting as natural aerosols. All amid the green of a nature breathing clean, pure air.
The San Leonardo Trail
There is also a special path that winds around San Giacomo, passing through woods and meadows, returning to the starting point in just over an hour and a half. Dedicated to San Leonardo, it follows the ancient mills’ route, still lively and functioning testimonies of how water is at home in Valle Aurina. On this path, open to anyone, sheltered by the tranquility of the Dolomites, you find one of the most well-known Kneipp facilities, with a welcoming water basin specially adapted to rest hot feet and legs. You can also immerse your arms for a total sensation of lightness.
The Health Path in Predoi
We are in the Vedrette di Ries – Aurina Nature Park, 1400 meters above sea level, in the first “health village of Alto Adige/Südtirol”, where air, water, and greenery contribute according to experts to strengthen natural defenses. There are 5 kilometers of nature on the Health Path in Predoi, a simple hike starting from the famous Climatic Center and reaching the Nature Park house at Casere. Along the way, the Röt waterfall, a refreshing and healthy stop that, thanks to the negative ions of water sprayed in the air, stimulates the immune system and helps defeat asthma and allergies. Then the Kneipp pond, an energy spot to regain lost well-being. A wellness deriving from a simple and primal element: water, here still clean and miraculous, as it once was.
Valle Aurina by Bike
With an area of 200 square kilometers from Lutago to Predoi, framed by eighty peaks reaching three thousand meters, Valle Aurina, part of the Plan de Corones tourist region, can be defined without exaggeration as a paradise for cyclists of every kind.
Among the many possible routes, those who like to pedal calmly on easy or medium-level trails should not miss the panoramic trip Ahrtour “Brunico-Casere”, starting from Brunico or Casere, crossing open countryside and beautiful woods alongside the Aurino river, gradually becoming a journey discovering the villages of Campo Tures, San Maurizio, and Predoi, with small churches and castles. The more experienced, with good kilometers in their legs, find their match in the “Ameisberg” loop, from Predoi to Casere, capable of captivating eyes, hearts, and palate with panoramic views towards the Italian Peak and options for stops at traditional alpine farms of Valle Aurina. Using the cable cars Klausberg and Speikboden – which can transport bikes up to 2000 meters on request – it is even possible to pedal uphill in the mountains and then descend. Particularly appreciated is the tour to Michlreis, with enchanting views over surrounding mountain peaks to reward the effort and sweat. Another attraction of steep routes is the possibility to reach a large number of alpine farms specializing in traditional cuisine by mountain or forestry roads, often equipped for e-bike charging.
For those overwhelmed by so many choices, the Ahrntal Aktiv group organizes every summer cycling excursions for all levels, mixing them with other alpine experiences, like climbing.
But these are just some of the infinite possibilities to explore Valle Aurina by bike. The dense and widespread network of cycle paths, covering 300 km in total and passing through towns and villages – also crossing 13 sensory stations scattered like small ongoing surprises along the route – leads to Lienz in East Tyrol and acts as a gateway to Valle Aurina, Antholz Valley, and Casies Valley. No preparation is needed, as Valle Aurina itself makes guests feel at home with the MobilCard, a combined ticket for trains, buses, and bikes available at 30 different rental points, often offering bike return at a partner location upon arrival or the chance to ride an e-bike – in Casere, Cadipietra, San Giovanni, Lutago, Campo Tures, and Brunico – for carefree and sweat-free rides in a universe of natural parks, lakes, and waterfalls.
Active Holidays in Valle Aurina
For those with an adventurous spirit, the highlight is the huge Kron-Action adventure park, the largest in South Tyrol, with many tree climbing courses for adults and children, from one and a half meters to very high altitude for the bravest, experiencing the thrill of walking on trees safely. Or, more classic but still heart-pounding, four hours of rafting on the Rienza river in the Lower Puster Valley. To raise heart rates even more, you can launch from one suspended platform to another hanging by a pulley, feet dangling into the void towards San Vigilio: aptly named Adrenaline X-treme Adventures, it’s Europe’s largest zip-line. And still at full speed, there is the Alpine Coaster Klausberg Flitzer, the longest and most spectacular alpine roller coaster in Italy, a breathtaking rail toboggan.
For those with a more Heidi-like spirit, who would always want to be in meadows watching nature move, here are other appealing options. Like a sunrise hike in San Martin to observe wild animals when dawn colors the valleys pink, an experience also available in Terento with expert hunters who know where chamois and marmots live. Or filling your eyes with unparalleled views by hiking from alpine hut to alpine hut at Speikboden, an area named after Speik, a small but resilient mountain flower covering meadows with intense violet.
The Casies Valley is another amazing excursion, made up of vast green spaces with gentle hills at the feet of imposing rocky mountains, while for nordic walking enthusiasts, starting from Valdaora, there are high-altitude or easier hikes: here, at the foot of Plan de Corones, the choice is overwhelming. It is in fact Europe’s largest park dedicated to this sport, with over 275 km of trails across Falzes, Brunico, Valdaora, and Rasun.
Or, to touch history and toil firsthand, a visit to the last of the six museums established by Reinhold Messner and dedicated to mountains, the MMM Corones. In a structure offering spectacular views of the great Dolomite and Alpine walls, like a terrace overlooking the power of nature, the museum traces mountaineering history. From here, take a hike to Corones, eyes on rock spires that seem to touch the sky. Ending with an energizing activity: called “Nature Under Your Feet,” a Kneipp path in the Antholz Valley to recharge body batteries alternating water and dry steps.
The Mines of Valle Aurina
Entering a mine and breathing the healthiest air found in nature. It seems a contradiction, but in Valle Aurina anything is possible. Because here, at the far north of Alto Adige/Südtirol, is the Predoi Climatic Center, the only Italian speleotherapy paradise. That is a form of respiratory support practiced at 1100 meters in the heart of the mountain, in natural caves and abandoned mines, therapy that uses the beneficial microclimate to aid respiratory weaknesses, from asthma to sinusitis, allergies to pulmonary emphysema. A cure suitable for children and adults, with one warning: dress warmly, as temperatures are quite low, steady at 9 degrees Celsius. And then nothing else: just breathe.
“I breathe” is the Center’s motto, where sitting in a cave on a comfortable deck chair covered with a warm sack, you listen to music, read, and wait for the clean air, free of pollen and allergens, to do its job: an hour and a half a day with a nurse for every need. For the little ones, a team of expert animators offers games and activities.
Thus, what was once a copper mine providing work in this formerly poverty-stricken region continues to give resources even when closed. Even tourist ones, because speleotherapy in Predoi offers a chance to step back into the past. A 500-year-long story of hardship and drama that is the Predoi Copper Museum, dripping water dust among the blue reflections of the mineral, one of the most famous hikes in Valle Aurina, loved by children and adults for its sense of adventure and its leap into a time that no longer exists. At the entrance of the St. Ignaz gallery stands a miner’s house called “the surveyor’s”, showing what life was like for those who rarely saw daylight. Then, wearing a helmet and yellow raincoat, you board the train that once carried hands and pickaxes toward long workdays, traveling on tracks straight into the mountain’s heart, with a stretch in darkness just like before, then entering on foot into tunnels to search for some remaining copper.
The Museums of Valle Aurina
Valle Aurina houses interesting traditional museums containing curious and valuable objects. Ideal to visit anytime though certainly an alternative to what to do in Valle Aurina when it rains or when skiing or hiking is not possible.
