It is not only the sound of music that emanates from the Tyrolean alps. The mountains also offer strength to the body and lift the soul, as Ray Bugeja found out.

In the heart of Austria, just 100 kilometres from Germany and Italy, lies an area that, since Roman times, has been known to have the richest ore mines in the alps. Gold and silver mining flourished there in the 16th and 17th centuries and, in 1557 alone, more than 800 kilos of pure gold had been extracted from one valley.

Efforts were made at the beginning of World War II to reactivate gold mining in the area and, in 1940, a new tunnelling system was attempted in the hope of finding new rich veins. One gallery in particular, the Paselstollen, was rather disappointing in this respect but scientific exploration after the war showed that rock temperature in part of the mountain soared up to 44°C and air humidity was very high.

More significantly, miners working in the gallery reported that their rheumatic complaints, inflammatory joint ailments or wear-and-tear joint problems, even lung diseases such as bronchial asthma and skin diseases had disappeared.

A new type of ‘gold’ had been struck in the Tauern mountains.

Scientific research by the University of Innsbruck in the mid-1940s confirmed that, behind this phenomenon, were the high temperatures (up to 41°C) and humidity (almost 100 per cent) but also the high radon levels in the gallery.

For the record, radon is a natural, radioactive gas which is both odourless and colourless. Experts say that radon therapy represents a degree of exposure which is insignificant within the spectrum of natural radiation exposure.

The very low-dose radiation of a radon treatment represents a short stimulus to the organs and cells, activating the body’s own self-healing powers. Balneologists also ascribe anti-inflammatory and pain-reducing effects to low doses of this inert gas.

In 1951, two professors from the University of Innsbruck concluded that treatment in the Gastein galleries has a healing effect equal to that offered by spas but far more effective than all other common methods.

The Gasteiner Heilstollen is today considered the largest treatment centre worldwide for patients suffering from ankylosing spondylitis, a severe rheumatic disorder. Patients suffering from respiratory illnesses and allergies go there too.

About 10,000 guests go there every year and the private operators put the success rate at between 80 and 90 per cent.

A recent study by the Vienna-based Ludwig Boltzmann Institute found that the healing climate in the Heilstollen helps increase the levels of a chemical messenger that is involved in various repair mechanisms of the body. It also promotes wound recovery and regeneration of muscle and nerve tissue apart from inhibiting exaggerated immunological processes and inflammatory reactions.

The healing climate helps promote wound recovery and regeneration of muscle

I was only able to spend just over 30 minutes deep into the mountain – a three-week treatment in the Heilstollen is supposed to help alleviate a patient’s complaints for several months – but it was already such a healthy feeling.

The whole region is pure healthy bliss. The waiter greeting me and a group of Maltese travel agents as we walked into the only restaurant in the Gastein valley, not far from the treatment mountain, couldn’t have put it better: “Welcome to paradise”. I looked around and thought to myself: no wonder nobody wants to go to hell.

“Leave the hustle and bustle of daily life behind you, lace up your mountaineering boots and climb up. You’re getting closer to a little paradise high up in the mountains,” the promotion material says. And how right it is.

This was February, the winter season when, of course, snow-related activities prevail. Still, the versatility of the place to please all tastes is so evident. As the brochures would tell you: “In SalzurgerLand, body, mind and soul come into harmony again”.

It’s not just music to your ears. The music from the mountains goes much deeper within.

Getting to Gastein is quite straightforward. Perhaps the easiest route would be via Munich, to where both Air Malta and Lufthansa fly. Going by the statistics, Munich is becoming a very popular destination for the Maltese. In fact, the tourist office reports “an amazing growth from Malta”.

Last year, Munich said the number of visitors from four markets exceeded 20 per cent. The highest was from Taiwan, up 35.5 per cent, followed by Estonia (+34.1 per cent), Malta (+26.9 per cent and 7,724 bed-nights) and South Africa (+24 per cent).

In December, Malta was the market posting the highest increase in bed-nights, up 80.9 per cent.

But, back to Tyrol and, specifically, Seefeld and the surrouding quaint resorts, not far from the city of Innsbruck. The family-owned, four-star Inntalerthof Hotel in Mösern offers a breathtaking view of the Inn Valley and the Tirolean Alps.

The activities and facilities on offer in the region are wide and varied, appealing to young and old, the adventurous or the less active, the daring and those who fear the unknown. And that would apply also to restaurants as well as hotels.

The stress is always on making the guest, whatever s/he is doing, bring the body and mind into balance, escape the stress of everyday life and replenish the energy levels.

In SalzburgerLand, where the world’s most popular Christmas carol – Silent night – was first sung in 1818, this comes natural. The catchword there is “healthstyle”, savouring nature in the alpine realm.

“It’s a little closer to heaven,” the people from the tourism office will tell and for good reason too.

At Gastein you get a valley, two spa resorts, three villages and winter sports areas, not to mention the world-famous Gastein healing gallery.

There are 7,000 kilometres of cycling and mounting biking routes too.

That is the beauty of the place. It is not just about winter sports... it is a holiday destination for all seasons.

At some point your sojourn must end but the leisure time does not because the body is stronger and the spirits remain high even when you get back home.

“Offer the body something pleasurable so that the soul feels like living in it,” Winston Churchill is supposed to have said once.

It may not be paradise, but you do get that little closer to heaven, all thanks to the wellness of the mountains.