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Bolzano (or Bozen to give it its German name) is the main town of Alto Adige, the 'German' half of the north Italian region of Trenino-Alto Adige (with Trentino being much more recognisably Italian in flavour). It will come as no surprise then that Bolzano, which is only some 30km or so from the borders with Austria and Switzerland, is distinctively Alpine in flavour. Delightfully so ... we not only have the soaring mountains, and a thriving winter sports industry, but there are pavement cafes serving gulasch, knodel and speck, sachertone and black bread. The town, with street signs in Italian and German, sits at the confluence of the Rivers Talvera and Isarco, amidst terraced slopes of vineyards. Churches have Gothic onion-domed roofs, while fairytale Alpine castles cling tenaciously to the slopes. This is one of the gateways between central Europe and the south, and it's no surprise that this has been one of the most hotly disputed bits of Italy down the centuries. In fact, for large parts of its history, Bolzano wasn't in Italy at all, being gifted to the Italians by the Allies after World War I, as a reward for their opposition to Germany. There are numerous historic sights in the town. Piazza Walther, with a statue of a German minstrel, has some good cafes. There is the Gothic cathedral, from 1184 (completed in 1382), and the Chiesa dei Comenicani. There's a fine 14th century Franciscan church on Via dei Francescani, and the relatively new Museo dei Archeologico. Also see Mussolini's First World War Victory Monument (controversial bearing in mind that Bozen was 90 per cent German during the conflict). And notable local castles include Mareccio, Roncolo and Firmiano.
To the left you'll find a selection of hotels, to get you in the mood
- see also our full listings of Bolzano hotels.
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