Glorenza Town Mill

Although Glorenza has less than 1,000 inhabitants, it is one of the 8 towns in South Tyrol, the only one in the Val Venosta valley, and the smallest town in the southern Alps. The Via Claudia Augusta ran through here, and thus Colurnus (Lat. for hazel bush) was already a traffic junction in Roman times. When the town was founded, a commercial zone was created, and the mill stream was diverted at the bridge over the Adige river. From 1330 onwards, the Town Mill - "Stadtmühle Glurns" in German, "Mulino cittadino di Glorenza" in Italian - was in operation thanks to this water, and the farmers were able to bring the grain to this mill in the Via San Pancrazio alley.

The Glorenza Town Mill brought several advantages: The water from the stream that was diverted in this way allowed the mill wheel to operate, but it also served the tanners in the neighbouring Via Conciapelli (Tanners' Alley) to clean animal skins. In addition, grain flourished so well on the fertile alluvial soils around Glorenza that the area was known as the "granary of the Val Venosta": The millers' guild was so important that it had its own craft code, and a little later there was also its own brotherhood of millers here. The Town Mill was damaged and destroyed several times, but was always rebuilt because of its great importance for the population.

In 2009, it was completely restored and is today fully functioning again. During a guided tour in summer, you can visit the old mill and follow all the work steps from the opening of the mill stream sluice to the freshly ground flour. The remains of the fresco show the former guild sign of the millers: two lions with a mill wheel. And how to reach the Glorenza Town Mill? It is located in the Via San Pancrazio alley no. 8, not far from the Glorenza Church Tower. A large car park can be found outside the town walls. Also another tower, the Sluderno Gate Tower, is accessible.