The Mill Museum is located in Aldino near the Bolzano area. It is an open-air museum that tells a very important cross-section of local rural life. In the past the cultivation of cereals in water-powered mills was very widespread here.
Aldino is located on the Regglberg plateau and until 1959 could only be reached via steep mule tracks. The inhabitants lived in isolation and therefore had to provide for themselves. Grain cultivation became widespread and mills were built to harness the power of the streams. They were abandoned after the construction of the main road.
Two mills have been renovated and can be visited: the Thal Mill, which houses machinery for grinding cereals. There is also the Matzneller Mill, where there is a shining machine - used to remove the husk from the barley grains -, a pestle - used for beating and felting wool and shredding the fir bark used to tan leather - and a carding machine - used to remove impurities and detangle the wool.
The Mill Museum also includes a blacksmith's workshop, built in 2001, containing a forge, various tools, a lathe, a mallet and a hydraulic bellows for the forge.
The Mill Museum can only be visited on a guided tour, which must be booked at least 4 days in advance. The tour lasts about 1.5 hours, plus a 40-minute return trip to the starting point.
Opening hours and period
The museum is open from May to October.
July and August: guided tour every Saturday from 14.00 from the car park at the fire station.
How to get there
From Ora or Egna, take the main road or the provincial road in the direction of Val di Fiemme as far as the crossroads for Aldino-Pietralba. Take the provincial road and continue for about 6 km to Aldino. The second road on the right, after the production area, leads to the centre. You can park in the square or below the town hall.
Mill Museum
Piazza del Paese, 41 Aldino
Tel. (+39) 0471 88 68 32 (Magda Ploner)
