Piazza delle Erbe and the portici

One of the ways most indicated to breathe in the tranquil atmosphere of the city is a charming stroll among the alleys and the porticos of Piazza delle Erbe. From Monday to Friday the Christmas market with fruit and vegetables is hosted here. An opportunity to discover some local delicacies and the beauties of the place such as the Fountain of Neptune, a work of marble and bronze dating from the beginning of 1700 depicting the god of the sea with three dolphins.

There are many famous personalities of the past who lived by these parties, among others, Mozart and Goethe. Piazza delle Erbe is populated both day, because of the food market, and in the evening, when it becomes a meeting place for many young people. A good starting point for exploring the arcades of the city, featuring a good part of the historical center which allows you to walk even during the rain without getting wet.

A walk along the ancient Via dei Portici is a dive into the past to get to know the history of the city. During some time, some premises under the porticos were dwellings, while other warehouses for the storage of the goods of the merchants of Italians and Germans. Today, after the restructuring of the palaces, the scenario appears to be entirely different with shops, boutiques, bars, and restaurants.

The Duomo

The imposing Duomo stands on three superimposed churches and represents the more important religious symbol in Bolzano, an architectural jewel in the Gothic style of very ancient origins. The Duomo is located in Walther Square, and boasts a sumptuous campanile tower with a height of approximately 65 meters and an outer part covered with marble and red and yellow with beautiful elements in Gothic style. To embellish the building under the tower it is possible to admire a fresco work of some students of the school of Giotto. Traces of the famous Italian painter are well visible even in the interior of the Cathedral, where hosted other frescoes of his famous bottega. The precious treasures of the Cathedral of Bolzano are not exhausted with the frescoes of the school of Giotto, since inside the building you can enjoy the marble altar and a Pietã of 1424 while the Museo del Duomo, located at the foot of the belfry, are jealously guarded ori, silverware, relics, and parchments. On the side Walther square, by looking carefully you will realize a particular: the little door of wine, a small door to remember the importance of viticulture for the local economy.

The Castles

Squares, porticoes, a Cathedral, and museums are not sufficient to describe Bolzano, since to characterize the South Tyrolean capital there are also the sumptuous castles. Perfect places to remember the noble families of Bolzano and the need to defend this part of the border. Castel Maretsch, Castel Flavon, Roncolo Castle are only some of the wonderful castles of Bolzanini, a tour by car would be the ideal place to discover the beauties of each of these ancient structures. The easiest to reach because it was closer to the city center is Castel Maretsch, but a few kilometers more should not prevent you from visiting Castel Flavon, its fantastic frescos of the XVI century and the wonderful view of Bolzano.

Archaeological Museum

Another jewel of Bolzano is the Archaeological Museum of South Tyrol is famous for Otzi, the man from the ice. The Museum is located in the historical center and its success is linked to the discovery of Ötzi, found randomly by some visitors in 1989 protected by ice and snow. In simple words, this is the mummy of a man who lived in the area about four thousand years ago. A visit inside the Archaeological Museum of South Tyrol will allow you to observe the man from the ice with his outfit: clothes, bisaccia and some utensils, tools, thanks to which it has been possible to reconstruct the daily life of Ötzi. The Museum is not only the testimony of the man from the ice, but it also documents perfectly the history of place: from the Paleolithic Age to the Middle Ages. An intriguing path and suggestive discovering the Iceman and of the ancient history of these places.

Colle Cableway

From the historic center, you can reach the cable car the most ancient in the world, inaugurated in the distant 1908. From that day, the cableway is the perfect way to get to the localities of the hill in a few minutes and with the great opportunity to be involved in a breathtaking panorama. For those who want to have a pleasant excursion away from town, Colle is the correct place and a place where to find restaurants, kiosks, and pleasing mountain paths with a fantastic view of the Dolomites. A unique landscape that has kept in time its originality: an Alpine forest silent and just some construction. Among the few buildings of Colle we find the Maso Uhl, one of the typical rural houses of Trentino Alto Adige, today the seat of a library and scholastic laboratories.

Christmas Markets

The atmosphere of Bolzano becomes particularly magical with the Christmas Market in Piazza Walther, along the square and the streets of the city in this period it is possible to breathe the heat and the profound value of the Christmas festivities. A magic that invades the whole historical center with the scents, colors and lights ready to take on the scene by creating a festive atmosphere that is unique and unmistakable. With the originality of local products, the music that accompanies the walks of tourists between a stand and the other, and the perfume of spices, visit the Christmas markets in Bolzano wants to say touch with hand the true Christmas tradition. An enchantment for the curiosity of many visitors that through the customs of the place they want to live some magical moments. The Christmas Market in Bolzano is the largest and best known in Italy, capable every year to attract with its charm a great crowd of Italian and foreign tourists. Then when the snow covers the entire city, then the Bolzano atmosphere is almost perfect.

What to Eat

The embarrassment of the choice and quality of the products positively characterize the local cuisine, with dishes influenced by the scents of the other neighboring peoples. You do not count in fact the local specialties with speck and cheese (Edelweiss and Bergbauernkäse) in first line. Make sure to try the pasta dishes with protagonists such as canederli, soup of barley and the ravioli to spinach. The seconds are not less good, to taste the goulash of deer and the loin of pork. To complete the walkthrough of Bolzanine delicacies are certainly cite the delicious strudel, different from that Trentino, and wine Lagrein. In reality, a scoreboard of the dishes Bolzanine is almost impossible, precisely in the light of the many varieties offered by the local cuisine. Some days however will suffice to taste a good part and give you an idea of the quality of the products.