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What do you know about Bolzano
I'll be in northern Italy for a few days and am considering Bolzano as a base for 3-4 days. Been there? What to do, see?
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The prehistoric man is there. Not a huge place, good food that is more Austrian than Italian. I went on an MWR tour one day so was not super long visit but very beautiful. There are some great castles nearby. I wish I knew the name of the one we visited. I had so many orbs on my pictures. People live there but give tours.
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Years and years ago we stayed at Schloss Korb, a lovely castle-hotel located a few km from Bolzano. As stated, the area's Austrian heritage is quite pronounced. We loved doing day trips through the wine country. If you're going soon, however, the weather is likely to be wintry.
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I second the prehistoric man, aka Otzi The Ice Man.
Ötzi the Iceman, Museum of Archaeology Bolzano You don't say what time of year or whether you'll have a car... There are interesting towns within an hour by train: Trento, Rovereto, Bressanone, Merano. And frequent bus service to Ortisei. If you'll have a car, you could take an all-day, scenic loop into the Dolomites... Fassa, Canazei, Arabba, Corvara, Selva, Ortisei. Tip: When searching bus timetables, the default name for towns in this area is often German. Bolzano/Bozen, Ortisei/Sankt Ulrich, Bressanone/Brixen, Castelrotto/Kastelruth. https://www.valgardena.it/en/bus-schedule/ |
The official timetable is publisched in all 3 langhuages of South Tyrol: German, Ladin and Italian as well as in English
Most trains and buses run every 30 to 60 minutes. https://www.sii.bz.it/en/siipdfOldtimetables |
Attractive city and a good base for the area. I liked Merano, where I stayed, better, though - you might find my rip report useful as I did a lot of sightseeing. https://www.fodors.com/community/eur...ounds-1655608/
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I should have mentioned I'll be there in late-May 2020. Sorry.
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Car?
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yes
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Where you base (Bolzano, Merano or somewhere else) depends on your priorities for this short stay. For me, the priority would be dramatic scenery, lakes, driving the mountain passes, etc., and not the activities or atmosphere of a particular town. Do some research on the Great Dolomites Road between Bolzano and Cortina. You may decide you want to stay in a mountain town or split your nights between Bolzano and another place.
Where will you be coming from and heading to after these nights? |
Originally Posted by mytravelguide
(Post 17031739)
Bolzano is a fantastic town hidden away in the mountainous region of South Tyrol in the Italian Alps. With a population of just over 105,000, Bolzano is the largest city in this area and is also the capital of South Tyrol. This city has the distinction of being voted the Italian city with the best quality of life in 2014. Bolzano has seen some form of human settlement since the prehistoric era and has seen influence from various ruling empires including the Bavarians, Roman Empire and Holy Roman Empire. Due to its location within the alps, it has served as a strategic city for controlling the region and this is evident due to the large number of castles nestled in the mountains. Bolzano has an economy based on agriculture, tourism, industry and handicraft.
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We'll be coming from an area about two hours north of Venice, Not sure where we're headed afterwards -- maybe Tuscany.
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Runkelstein Castle is very nice
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"We'll be coming from an area about two hours north of Venice"
If you come from the Cadore area, the most obvious scenic itinerary would go via Cortina d'Ampezzo - Falzarego Pass - Pordoi Pass to Canazei and then either via Ortisei or via Lago Carezza to Bolzano/Bozen. |
Cadore area or more like Belluno? Either, I agree with neckervd, and in that itinerary I wouldn't stay in Bolzano except perhaps the last night before heading elsewhere. I would want to maximize my access to as many scenic drives in the mountains as I could make in the time available. neckervd's route doesn't include my favorite pass: Passo Giau.
So much amazing scenery, so little time.... |
I was in Corvara last year: beautiful. Stunning scenery.
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Passo di Giau is just an alternative to Passo Falzarego.
Drive via Falzarego if you are interested in WW1 canons and other remains https://lagazuoi.it/EN/Discover-Hist...of-Mt-Lagazuoi or prefer Giau if you like scenic small mountain roads. |
There are more WWI sights in this area. Forte Tre Sassi near Passo Valparola which is west P. Falzarego and the Cinque Torri which east of P. Falzarego.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forte_Tre_Sassi https://www.lonelyplanet.com/italy/cinque-torri Further back in history... South of P. Falzarego is Castle Andraz built in the 11th C. to guard the iron foundries in this area. The Giau Barrier (a stone wall) near P. Giau was built in about 1750 and marked the border between the republic of Venice and the Hapsburg Empire. Parts of the wall are still standing if one is interested in a hike. Again, so many things to see, so little time... |
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