The Italian name for Auer, Ora, is reminiscent of the Italian word for gold – oro. If you believe the story surrounding the founding of the village, this interpretation even has a historical base. In the spot where Auer is today there is said to have been a town known as the 'golden town' thanks to its riches. When its  inhabitants became too arrogant, God punished the town with a devastating flood and the town of Auer was built from the ruins. 

Yet even if this town in the municipality of Auer in the South Tyrolean Unterland, 17 kilometres from Bozen, never existed, the old story contains several grains of truth.

Underwater attractions
On the one hand, today's 3,500-inhabitant-strong municipality really has been flooded several times by the Schwarzenbach stream over the past centuries. The oldest building in the parish, St. Peter's Church, which was first mentioned in records in the 11th century, has often been under water. Every time there was a flood, the embankments around the church were deposited with debris and rubble, which is why you have to go down steps for five metres to get to the church entrance. Legend has it that the Gothic building with its Romanesque church tower is the only remaining building from the 'Golden Town'. A good thing, as the oldest organ in the Alpine area may be found inside it.
As well as going on a walk through the twisted alleyways of the village, a trip to the rather sleepy St. Daniel am Kiechelberg Chapel, where an unknown master left behind a late-Gothic winged altar, is well worth it. There is an interesting fresco depicting Daniel in the lions' den on the north wall.

A haven for cyclists
Anyone staying at a holiday flat or room in Auer should definitely take advantage of the wide range of hiking paths available and go on forays in to the surrounding area. A slightly shorter walk, for example, leads from the main village square to Schwarzenbach waterfall via a multitude of steps - the so-called 'Katzenleiter', or 'cat's ladder'. Further natural highlights to be reached on a walk are Castelfeder biotope, Bletterbachschlucht gorge and the lake at Kaltern, which is a three-hour walk away.

People who prefer to spend their holiday on their bikes will love Auer. A cycle tour on the old Fleimstalbahn railway track starting above Auer in the municipality of Montan provides lots of fantastic views. The landscape of the Unterland, which is already quite Mediterranean looking, is best explored on a trip involving cycle paths and country roads from Auer to Salurn.

The village is also worth its weight in gold, as it is situated at an important junction and has good connections with a variety of traffic routes. There's nothing to prevent a flying visit to Bozen or Meran by bus or train when the tranquillity of a Farm Holiday gets too much. But it's not always so quiet in the village...