The Valle dei Mulini (Valle della Còvola) is one of the few valleys on the plateau with active water sources. In fact, since it is a karst environment, water retained on the surface is rare in the Plateau. Among the main sources is the Còvola, which flows right under the town of Gallio, giving its name to the valley.
Thanks to this wealth of water (combined with the abundance of wood and animals in the area), since the 16th century the water was channeled and exploited with the construction of numerous mills and factories, to grind wheat and to crush the bark of fir trees to obtain tannin, used in leather tanning.
Of this paleoindustrial hub, a former mill converted into a hydroelectric power station during the First World War, for military purposes, and subsequently used until the 1950s, survived and was recovered; a mill with working wheel and gears; various channels, bridles and remains of other structures.
The path is fast and accessible, very suggestive, immersed in lush vegetation: from Gallio you descend steeply to the valley floor; the walk continues peacefully along and crosses the Franzèla stream in several places up to the ancient Contrada Ronchi.