Bad Maistatt, known as Pian di Maia in Italian, is a historical bath in Villabassa (Niederdorf), in the Pusteria (Pustertal) Valley. Nowadays it is a holiday and recreation destination for families and groups. It is uniquely situated amidst pristine nature, hidden away and barely visible from the village. It was built in the mid-eighteenth century, when the upper Pustertal Valley was specialized in tourism for the nobility.
The bath had its heyday in the middle of the nineteenth century, primarily because old popular belief went that the healing power and freshness of water increases in proportion to the altitude of the source. In 1952 the Scalabrini Fathers took over Bad Maistatt and initially left it to theology students, who used it as a summer residence. Today the most beautiful space in the entire building is the former dining room on the first floor, which is dated 1886 and signed by Jacob Noisternig. The entire room is painted with music-making putti figures, flower vases, medallions with heads of Oswald von Wolkenstein, Josef Speckbacher, Joachim Haspinger, toasts and a veduta of Bad Maistatt. In addition, the wooden garden house with decorative elements is certainly noteworthy.
IDM Film Fund & Commission — Alto Adige
Via del Macello, 73 — 39100 Bolzano
Phone: +39 0471 094 294
Email: luisa.giuliani@idm-suedtirol.com
