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Not your typical Italian town

October 28, 2009
Geotag Icon (map) Bolzano/Bozen, Alto Adige/Südtirol

bolzano1 Not your typical Italian townCapital of the Alto Adige/Südtirol province and co-capital of the Alps, Bolzano/Bozen offers a subtle blend of Italian style and Tyrolean tradition.

You immediately get a feel for that in Piazza Walther. Looking around you’ll notice Austrian-style turrets, and building names in both Italian and German. Grab a spot at the salmon-colored Stadt Hotel/Hotel Città just behind the statue of Walther von der Vogelweide, the 13th century Tyrolean troubadour. From here, you get a great view of the square, and your drink comes with the best plate of free munchies on the piazza.

bolzano2 Not your typical Italian townBTW, the most popular aperitivo here is made with Aperol (an Italian bitter liqueur). The Austrians introduced the drink in Venice, where it’s made with prosecco (a sparkling wine) and called a spritz. Here, they make it with regular white wine … and call it a Veneziano.

It’s Italy, but with a twist. Welcome to Bolzano/Bozen!

bolzano3 Not your typical Italian town


- Contributed by Lee McIntyre, Freelance writer and photographer. Author of the book A Year of One a Days.






7 responses to “Not your typical Italian town”

  1. Penny Ewles-Bergeron October 28, 2009 at 1:08 pm | | Reply

    Enjoyed the note, Lee. Makes me want to visit and try the aperitivo. Walther von der Vogelweide has to be the best alliterative name in music!

  2. Ciaochowlinda October 28, 2009 at 1:19 pm | | Reply

    Bolzano is a great town to visit. We ski in the region every year and have toured Bolzano a few times. You have got to go see the ice man there!

  3. Rosemary October 28, 2009 at 3:54 pm | | Reply

    This is a very beautiful town. We were surprised at how “German” some of the towns in northern Italy are, both in architectural style, language and food. In one small town we visited, it seemed so like Germany that we had to ask if they spoke English!

  4. Sylvia Flores October 28, 2009 at 10:02 pm | | Reply

    Beautiful! We’ve driven through there and enjoyed the beauty! There’s so much to see and enjoy! Thanks for highlighting Bolzano! Sylvia

  5. Mauro Posey December 2, 2009 at 9:22 pm | | Reply

    Italy is a captivating country with historical cities, scenic countryside, mountains, attractive coast and art treasures.

  6. Neville Rock December 2, 2009 at 9:33 pm | | Reply

    Holidays in Italy can be very expensive but tourists on a budget can still have a great time if they look around for the cheaper accommodation and eating places.

  7. Asa Yearous March 1, 2010 at 10:25 pm | | Reply

    Yes! thought your post is a time saver in Not your typical Italian town – ItalianNotebook.com ! Asa Yearous

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