Brennero, Italy ??
 

Trying to plan a Fall trip to, among other places, Innsbruck. It will be a short trip- approx. 10 days. Never been to Italy, but noted that Brennero is 1/2 hour to and hour away from Innsbruck. Forgive me for being superficial, but we have at least entertained the thought of crossing the border, if only just barely, into Italy. Is there anything of touristy interest in Brennero? I haven't found references to it in guidebooks, and it appears on this board only as a through-town. As a border town it may also be more Austrian than Italian. Your thoughts please?! Thanks.

If you take A13 Autoroute, the drive from Innsbruck over the border is indeed 30 minutes. The Brenner town is quite dull. Nearby (14 km), though, Vipiteno (Sterzing) is a fine little town worth a couple of hours (Palazzo Comunale, Torre di Città, Casa del Ordine Teutonico with its 2 museums and Palazzo Jochelsturn. <BR> <BR>You may wish to drive to Bressanone (Brixen) instead. This is reachable in about 50 minutes from Innsbruck (if there aren't any delays at the border). This is an old episcopal city, for many centuries an independent state in continuous dispute with the counts of the Tyrol (of which Innsbruck was the capital). Bressanone boasts a few interesting sites, as the bell tower of San Michele, the Cathedral, Palazzo dei Principi Vescovi with the Cathedral Museum and Palazzo Pfaundler. The main attraction, though, is the Abbey of Novacella, with its chapel, church and cloister with old (fragmented) frescoes, Rococo library and pinacoteca. <BR> <BR>The whole province of Bolzano constitues tha South Tyrol, divided from the Tyrol after WW I. The main Tyrolean cities in Austria are Innsbruck, Kitzbühel and Lienz. The culture is the same, main difference being the diversity introduced by the Italian comunity that has populated the southern area, specially Bolzano, during the Fascism. In the southern part the cultural diversity is also strenghtned by the Ladino comunity (in Val Gardena and Val Badia). <BR> <BR>Paulo

Hi I wanted to thank Paulo for making me think again about travel.If you are planning to visit the Dolomites visit Cortina D'Ampezzo, the most beautiful city in probably the most bautiful part of Italy. I am partial to mountains. There is great drive from Bolzano to Cortina. The Brenner that you were referring to, in addition to the town that Paulo mentioned may be the Brenner Pass. Norther Italy is great country add the wonderful food and it makes a very good place to visit. Enjoy it. <BR>alan <BR>

I'm afraid, Alan, that JustCurious doesn't want to drive much more than 2 hours before he's back in Innsbruck. <BR> <BR>Anyway, once you mention it, a very nice full daytrip out from Innsbruck would be: <BR> <BR>a) depart early (around 8am) and take the A13 over the Brenner pass into A22 and to Chiusa; exit the Autostrada and take S242 to Ortisei (you should arrive around 9:15am); <BR> <BR>b) stop for a short visit; <BR> <BR>c) follow S242 to Sta. Cristina Valgardena, Selva di Val Gardena and then take S243 over the passo Gardena to Colfosco and Corvara; <BR> <BR>d) S244 will take you to Passo Falzarego and from there, S48 will lead you over the Pocol to Cortina. <BR> <BR>e) have lunch and enjoy Cortina; <BR> <BR>f) around 4pm take S48 to Lake Misurina for a short visit and then follow on till you hit S51. Just before you get to Dobbiaco you'll hit S49 which you take to the west into Val Pusteria, passing through Villabassa, Monguelfo, Perca and Chienes into Autostrada A22 <BR> <BR>g) depending on available time, you may get off to short visit Vipiteno just before the border. <BR> <BR>All the driving from/to Innsbruck should total not much more than 4:30 hours nonstop, that is, you'd have some 6+ hours at least to enjoy stops at villages/passes and you may even go up the mountains on a lift (e.g., in Ortisei, Passo Falzarego or Cortina). <BR> <BR>Paulo

Thanks, both of you, for your suggestions. I'll clip them and add them to our (growing) itinerary. We usually have too much to do in too little time, but the day trip sounds like a nice diversion from our other activities.