Rio di Pusteria
The Puster Valley is a beautiful valley in the Central-Eastern Alps, approximately 100 km long, that stretches between the Autonomous Province of Bolzano and Eastern Tyrol. In this valley, visitors can admire the spectacular Pusteresi Alps and enjoy a breathtaking view of its landscapes.
History
From its origins to Napoleon
The Puster Valley has been an area of great importance since ancient times. In 50 AD, the Claudia Augusta road was built, which connected Verona to Augusta. In the valley, some milestones were found that prove the Pusteria was connected to the much better-known artery. In 974, the valley was mentioned for the first time with the name of "Pustrussa". In 1847, Emperor Ferdinand I of Austria reinforced the Pusteria road, as it was a strategic route between Vienna and northern Italy.
World War I
During the Great War, the Croda Rossa di Sesto became the major theater of clashes between Italy and Austria-Hungary concerning the Pusteria Valley. Sesto, San Candido, and Dobbiaco are among the valley towns most involved in the war. Today, visiting the valley, visitors can still admire several war memorials and military cemeteries, as well as monuments, fortifications, and trenches.
Contemporary age
In the nineties, traffic in the Pusteria Valley reached high levels, and the province began to build several bypasses, in Brunico and later in Rio di Pusteria, Monguelfo, and Villabassa.
Physical geography
The Pusteria Valley is located in the western part of the Insubric Line. Half of the valley descends to the west into the Adriatic basin (through the Isarco and then the Adige) and the other half descends to the Black Sea basin (through the Danube). The watershed is located in the valley bottom, at the Dobbiaco pass. The Rienza flows in the Western Pusteria, while in the eastern part (also called Upper Pusteria/''Hochpustertal''), divided between Italy and Austria, the Drava flows.
The political borders of the Pusteria Valley do not coincide with the geographical ones. In fact, after the end of the First World War in 1918, the state border was not set on the watershed line (Dobbiaco Pass) but, for strictly military reasons, was fixed 6 kilometers further east, at a lower altitude, precisely in Prato alla Drava.
Conclusions
The Pusteria Valley is a multifaceted valley that offers many possibilities to tourists. Visitors can hike, walk, practice extreme sports such as skiing, visit historical monuments and enjoy the beauty of the landscape. The valley is definitely a destination to discover and experience firsthand, in every season of the year.
