Valdaora: Between lime and healing waters, a past steeped in history
The charm of Valdaora is not only scenic. This locality in the Val Pusteria, known today for tourism and hiking, has an industrious past centered around two main elements: lime kilns and sulfurous thermal springs. Two activities deeply tied to the land, which still today tell the story of the life and ingenuity of past generations.
The lime kilns along the Rio Furcia
Until the 1960s, Valdaora was renowned for producing lime of exceptional quality, appreciated well beyond the local area. The process was intense and required several days of preparation: filling a kiln took a week of work, with the help of eight or nine men and horses transporting white stones from the Furcia and Langtal streams. After a week of firing with over 100 cubic meters of wood, the lime was ready.
The seven active kilns were distributed along the Rio Furcia, from Mülbach to Pervalle, and today you can still visit their historical remains — tangible witnesses of an ancient and demanding craft that once sustained the local economy.
The Pervalle Thermal Baths: Wellbeing in the mountains
Located at 1,311 m a.s.l., the Pervalle Baths draw on a sulfurous spring known since Roman times. Remains of basins and votive offerings confirm the importance of this site even in antiquity. The water, rich in healing properties, was (and still is) used to relieve rheumatism, skin diseases, and respiratory and gynecological disorders.
After a long period of abandonment, in 1980 the Pörnbacher family restored the old spa building, opening a hotel. Since 2002, the therapeutic use of the thermal waters has been revived, returning the place to its original vocation.
The Bad Schartl Baths: A private memory
Halfway between Valdaora and Riscone, another thermal center once animated the area: the Bad Schartl Baths. Famous until the 1950s, they were visited by those seeking relief from skin and stomach ailments. Today, the building is a private residence and no longer accessible, yet it lives on in local memory as a beloved and tranquil retreat nestled in the woods.
Valdaora discreetly preserves a legacy of work, care and tradition, embodied by the kilns and springs that still speak to the hearts of those who visit this beautiful land — a journey through time, nature and memory.
