Ahrntal
Ahrntal (Italian: Valle Aurina) is a Gemeinde or comune (municipality) in South Tyrol in northern Italy, located about 70 kilometres (43 mi) northeast of the city of Bolzano (Bozen), on the border with Austria.
Geography
Ahrntal borders the following municipalities: Mühlwald, Prettau, Sand in Taufers, Brandberg (Austria), Finkenberg (Austria), and Mayrhofen (Austria).
Frazioni
The municipality of Ahrntal contains the frazioni (subdivisions, mainly villages and hamlets) Luttach (Lutago), Steinhaus (Cadipietra), St. Jakob (San Giacomo), St. Johann (San Giovanni), St. Peter (San Pietro) and Weißenbach (Riobianco).
Weißenbach is composed of picturesque alpine farmhouses, grouped around the foaming white glacial stream from which its name is derived. With a population of around 550, it sits at an elevation of 1,350 metres (4,430 ft) above sea level.
Topography
To the north, west and southwest the municipality is surrounded by the Zillertal Alps. The main chain of these Alps at the head of the valley also forms the border with Austria. Amongst the most important mountains in the municipality are the Turnerkamp (3,418 m), the Hornspitzen, the Schwarzenstein (3,369 m), the Großer Löffler (3,379 m), the Wollbachspitze (3,210 m) and the Napfspitze (3,144 m). The ranges to the west and southwest, including the Speikboden massiv, separate the village of Ahrntal from Mühlwald in the Mühlwalder Tal. To the southeast are the Durreck Group, a subrange of the Venediger Group with the Durreck (3,135 m) and the Hirbernock (3,010 m) which form the boundary of the municipality of Reintal and its village of Rein in Taufers. Large parts of the Durreck Group are protected as part of the Rieserferner-Ahrn Nature Park.
