In 2002, an area of archaeological interest emerged almost at the top of a pipe-laying run carried out by SNAM, which from the urban centre of Millan, Zephierbühel zone, crosses the woods above the church of S. Maria delle Sabbie (Maria im Sands). The area that came to light was rich in slag and full of charcoal, indicating the presence of a metalworking site. In the medieval period this was the site of a blacksmith and a short distance away stands a cottage still known as the “Schmiedhof”. The bed of the torrent, constantly in the shade, is hit by a continuous, cold down-draught which increases with the sun’s radiation from the surrounding slopes, thus creating ideal conditions for metalworking which requires constant ventilation. Traces of another depression, full of charcoal layers, were noted slightly uphill near the torrent, and which perhaps relates to the main site. This depression is formed by a natural “basin”, with its main axis on a NE-SW alignment. It is structured around the edges by means of a make-up of angular stones and blackish, crumbly soil. The make-up within the depression appears to be divided along its length by a step. The downhill section is filled with material from a furnace: coarse strips of blistered slag from copper smelting, numerous fragments of pottery, a few fragments of terracotta mouths for a bellows, flint tools and deposits of charcoal-rich soil alternating with layers of clay, sand and crushed rock. It is probable that the furnace from which this material came was situated somewhere nearby. The complex dates to the beginning of the late Copper age.