Bolzano, Italy: A cultural guide

It might not be all harmony and light exactly, but after decades of strife since the capital of South Tyrol passed from Austria to Italy in 1919, Bolzano’s German- and Italian-speaking residents finally seem to be rubbing along together quite nicely. South Tyrol’s autonomous status might have something to do with that: control over matters such as taxation have made it one of the wealthiest regions of Europe, and academics of a sociological persuasion cite Bolzano as a paradigm of cross-border, inter-ethnic harmony. Bolzano is the future.

And that future is rather discombobulating. You’ll find yourself wondering whether the receptionist/waiter is of Teutonic or Latin origin, and whether to say “Buongiorno” or “Guten Tag”. I mostly guessed wrong, and on one occasion met one of the four per cent of the population who speaks Ladin, a language with Celtic and Roman roots.

Bolzano is the gateway to the Dolomites. It sits in a valley, and it’s quite something to gaze up from the main square, pretty Piazza Walther, at the forest-clad slopes and ridges of jagged limestone that surround it.

The centre is traffic-free, so as you meander away from Piazza Walther you hear sparrows cheeping, coffee machines whirring, old women gossiping, cups and saucers clinking.

The colourful medieval, Gothic and Belle Époque buildings, with their stepped gables, turrets and attractively faded frescoes, have a north European feel. Yet the porticoed main commercial street, Via Portici, feels Mediterranean. At Piazza delle Erbe, described with pleasure by Goethe in his Italian Journey, the two flavours meet. Some of the cosiest bars and cafés are hidden behind the stalls of fruit and flowers, spices and cheeses. And speaking of fruit – did you know that South Tyrol produces 12 per cent of Europe’s apples?

Bolzano’s churches; its Franciscan cloisters with 15th-century frescoes of monks from Scotland and Newcastle; its Mercantile Museum; and Museion, a spectacular, glass-clad collection of modern art on the banks of the River Talvera, are all rewarding places to visit. But Bolzano’s biggest attraction is Ötzi, a mummy discovered by chance in 1991 after spending the previous 5,300 years frozen in mountain ice. Most intriguingly, he was murdered.

You can see Ötzi in his fridge, kept at 21F (-6C), at the Museum of Archaeology, alongside a thrillingly vast quantity of artefacts found with him, from bear-fur hat to bow and arrows, and fascinating footage of the police, not realising how old he was, extracting his body.

This being the 20th anniversary of his discovery, there is also a stunning new reconstruction of how tattooed, muscly Ötzi would have looked on the last day of his life.

The chance to come face to face with a man who lived some 500 years before the building of the Pyramids makes the journey to Bolzano worthwhile on its own.

Bolzano essentials

GETTING THERE

British Airways (0844 493 0787; britishairways.com) flies to Verona from Gatwick from £98 return. A taxi to Verona train station costs around €15 (£13); trains to Bolzano cost from €9 (£8) to €35 (£31) return.

PACKAGES

Expressions Holidays (01752 878045; expressionsholidays.co.uk) offers four nights’ b & b at the Parkhotel Laurin from £575 per person, including return flight with BA from Gatwick to Verona and car hire.

THE INSIDE TRACK

 In 1925, Alfons Loacker founded a confectionary business in Bolzano, internationally famed today for its chocolate wafer biscuits. Visit the shop/café at Piazza Walther 11 to buy delicious edible souvenirs.

Nearby Ortisei is renowned for its woodcarving – pop into the hiking gear shop Sportler, Via Portici 37, to see superb examples: life-size figures of climbers in 19th-century garb.

South Tyrol is proud of its wines but the local Forst beer is equally good. Choose from a dozen brews at the Forst Birreria on the corner of Goethe and Da Vinci streets, or at Hopfen & Co, almost opposite.

The Museion shop (Via Dante 6) is also good for souvenirs, including sardine-shaped paper clips and watering cans disguised as tree stumps.

Farmacia Madonna, Via Portici 17, has been dispensing drugs since the 15th century, and is one of the most beautiful pharmacies in Italy. Buy some aspirin, enjoy the frescoes and statuary, and take the staircase on the left to discover castle relics.

THE BEST HOTELS

Stadt Hotel Città ££

In the heart of the action on Piazza Walther, with 102 simply furnished, spacious rooms and one of Bolzano’s buzziest cafés on the ground floor (0039 0471 975221; hotelcitta.info; double b & b from €80/£69).

Parkhotel Laurin £££

A graceful Art Nouveau gem with sumptuous dining room and bar, original artworks (Kandinsky, Kokoschka) in every room and a section of the city’s park which becomes an outdoor restaurant in summer (0471 311000; laurin.it; double b & b from €142/£122).

Parkhotel Holzner £££

Every four minutes a cable-car makes the 12-minute journey to Soprabolzano, high above the city, where the air is cooler and the views spectacular. The century-old, family-run Holzner, just yards from the station, is peaceful and welcoming, with generous, cosy rooms (0471 345231; parkhotel-holzner.com; double half board from €228/£196).

THE BEST RESTAURANTS

Fischbänke £

Where once fish was sold on white marble tables, now you can tuck into Bolzano’s finest bruschetta – tuna, anchovy, salami, Brie – beneath lilac parasols. A quirky place, run by an “artist” keen to impress his genius upon the clientele (Via Dr Streiter 26; 0471 971714).

Wirtshaus Vögele ££

The romantic choice, whether dining out beneath the porticoes on Via Goethe, or in the cellar-like interior with its dark-wood panelling and shadowy frescoes. Also best for Germanic flavours: dumplings, mushrooms, speck, goulash, strudel (Via Goethe 3; 0471 973938; voegele.it).

Zur Kaiserkron £££

Smart place tucked away in a small square, with a delightful, covered terrace surrounded by potted oleanders. Besides the usual pasta, salads and risotto, you might find calf’s head, ox and venison on the menu. Service is very attentive (Piazza della Mostra 2; 0471 980214; kaiserkron.bz).

What to avoid

• Don’t even think of visiting Ötzi when it’s raining – everyone else will have the same idea, and the queues stretch around the block.

• Bolzano’s cheaper hotels tend to be poor value, so it’s worth splashing out on the more upmarket choices.

• Ordering too much food – portions are huge, and with starters the size of generous main courses, one course may well suffice.

• Try not to leave anything behind at Parkhotel Laurin – a small exhibition of lost property in the foyer includes everything from spectacles to car keys to “love toys”.