|
BOLZANO / BOZEN
BRIEF HISTORY
BOLZANO TODAY
Bolzano's oldest and most famous residents is certainly Ötzi, The Ice Man. The South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology in Bolzano is home to Ötzi and approximately half a million people visit him and the museum each year. The Ice Man is over 5000 years old and has been rated as one of the top 10 most significant archaeological finds ever.
THINGS TO SEE IN AND AROUND BOLZANO:
The South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology Assumption of Our Lady Cathedral Messner Mountain Museum Time Magazine ranks Reinhold Messner among the top 60
Having conquered all 14 of the world's peaks exceeding 8,000 metres (26,250 ft) he has now dedicated himself to a museum project focusing on the allure of the mountains. In the listing of most famous personalities his name appears alongside world heroes such as Nelson Mandela. He is often cited as the greatest mountain climber of all time, and it all began among his home Dolomites in the the Funes/Vilnösstal valley and his will to discover what lay beyond the rugged pinnacles of the Odle/Geisler group. To quote Time Magazine: "His achievements will inspire lone wolves and stubborn dreamers for generations to come". Bolzano Christmas Markets Refer to the
websites on Bolzano Runkelstein Castle Castle Tyrol Cable car to Ritten EATING AND SLEEPING IN BOLZANO
Forsterbräu Restaurant Our favourite hotels within the old town centre of Bolzano are: Hotel Figl – 3 star www.figl.net BOLZANO – GATEWAY CITY TO THE DOLOMITES
http://www.autobrennero.it/ Bolzano is serviced by a small airport which is located in the area of Bolzano S?d (South). The airport is serviced by Air Alps and private charters. For more information on Bolzano Airport please refer to www.abd-airport.it Bolzano's train station is located 5 minutes by foot to the old town centre. There are many trains running to the North and South. Please refer to the following websites for train timetables and routes. http://www.oebb.at/vip8/oebb/en/index.jsp
THE DOLOMITES There are many ancient fables/fairytales that adorn these magnificent mountains. The most popular would be that of the Rose Garden. This spectacular part of the Dolomites can be viewed perfectly from Bolzano. The fairytale goes: "Once upon a time a dwarf king called Laurin lived inside the Rosengarten Mountain. He owned immense riches but his most treasured item was a magic hood which could make him invisible. There was a magnificent garden in front of the gateway to his bastion of rock, where myriads of roses remained in flower all year round. The roses were protected by a golden thread of silk and the punishment for the stealing even one rose was unthinkable. One day he caught sight of the stunningly beautiful princess. Simhild in a neighbouring castle. He fell in love with her and snatched her away from her family and home. From then on Simhild was forced to live in Laurin's kingdom, and there was nothing but sorrow at the castle of her brother, Dietleib. While he was searching for his sister Dietlieb came across the king of the Goths, Dietrich Von Bern. With him and other knights he made his way to Laurin's kingdom. Despite the fact that Dietrich marvelled at the magnificence of the roses fenced round by the thread of gold, his men broke it and trampled on the flowers. Beside himself with rage, Laurin came charging at them on his small white steed. Neither was able to overcome the other. However, when the knights pulled off his magic hood Laurin fell to the ground helpless and shouted incensed: "The roses have betrayed me!" Left with no option, he led the victors into his fortress where they freed Simhild. Laurin uttered a curse on the rose garden and its beauty was extinguished forever. He pronounced that nobody, neither by night nor by day, should ever again cast their eyes on the rose garden's magical splendour. But he forgot to include the twilight. And that is why the mountain, which is pale during the day still lights up and glows red as the sun sets." it's our pleasure to take you there… 
|
|
|
|
"For
me, Bolzano is a mountain transformed into a city. The moment
you move, it changes appearance. You edge forward and the profile
is different, you go back and discover new faces. It speaks different
languages. At its heart, it is an actor, enchanting and contradictory,
haughty and alluring, warm hearted and chilly." - Reinhold
Messner (resident of Bolzano and mountaineering legend).
Bolzano
has been a trading point since its foundation and elevation to
a city over 800 years ago. This was mostly due to its location
between the two major cities of Venice and Augsburg. Four times
a year a fair was held and traders came from the south and the
north of Europe. The merchants would display and sell their goods
under the arcades of the Lauben, Bolzano's main street, which
still happens today. The mercantile magistrate was founded in
1635. At this time the city was a cultural crosspoint between
the German & Italian speaking parts of Europe. This melting
pot of languages & culture became even more complex through
the battle of WW1 when the border between Austria and Italy was
moved.
Today
Bolzano is a small beautiful city that is home to just under 100,000
residents. The rich cobblestoned streets of the old town centre
no longer plays host to public vehicle access, and therefore is
filled with both residents and visitors going about their daily
activities by foot or bicycle. Visit the traditional fruit and
vegetable markets, one of the many churches and museums, enjoy
the shopping or simply sit back and enjoy the atmosphere whilst
sipping a ‘perfect cappuccino'. www.bolzano-bozen.it 
Surrounding
Bolzano are various alpine farms, vineyards and orchards. There
are 80,000 milk cows in South Tyrol, a large number of which spend
the summer on the cool meadows or high pastures. Their top quality
milk is used to produce butter, yoghurt, cheese and other dairy
products. In autumn the harvest of apples, grapes, sweet chestnuts
and other agricultural products typical to South Tyrol takes place.
The area is also renowned for it's South Tyrolean ‘Speck'.
Speck is where the haunches of pork are salted and rubbed with
herbs and spices. The herb mixture gives the ‘speck' its
aroma and flavour. The meat is then lightly smoked at a maximum
of 20?C and then air dried. After 22 weeks the ‘speck' is
deemed mature and ready to eat. There are many more traditional
specialities within the area however with such amazing foods produced
locally in South Tyrol, it is no wonder the area has become a
complete gourmet delight.
Bolzano
is a great place to spend a few days. Here are some of the highlights:
Time
Magazine ranks Reinhold Messner among the top 60 most famous personalities
spanning the past six decades.
There
are many places where you can enjoy typical Tyrolean & Italian
dishes in Bolzano, however our favourite places to eat & drink
are:
Bolzano
is located approximately 1½ hours by car to the heart of
the Dolomite ski resort of Alta Badia. To the North of Bolzano
via the Brenner Pass is Innsbruck (120kms) and to the South of
Bolzano is Verona (160kms).
Bolzano
lies within the magnificent region of South Tyrol. This small
and unique area is absolutely teaming with culture, history, ancient
castles, highly renowned international restaurants, wine, skiing,
hiking, mountaineering, health retreats, biking and so much more.
Visit the official website of South Tyrol to explore the area
in more detail. www.suedtirol.info