Bolzano/Bozen

South Tyrol's capital city boasts impressive artistic and cultural treasures. The historic old town and in particular the arches shopping area - the most important street in the city - were characterised for centuries as a place of trade between Italy and Germany. Today, they form the lively and modern centre of the city where tradition and modernity harmoniously unite.

With a focus on authenticity, experience the history of the city by visiting its many castles or by strolling in the Gries-Quirein District, which until 1925 was a separate municipality. To the north, just behind the old town, the Runkelstein Castle, built in 1237, houses an impressive cycle of frescoes. To the south of the city the majestic Sigmundskron Castle is home to the MMM Messner Mountain Museum Firmian. This is the centrepiece of the mountain museums established by Reinhold Messner. The South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology, in which Ötzi, the famous iceman from Similaun, can be admired, and the Museion, the museum of modern and contemporary art, are also well worth seeing.

In Bolzano, the cityscape itself also bears witness to history and culture. The architecture of the city is reminiscent of a fascist past. This is especially apparent at the Victory Monument. Traces from this period can also be found in the Semirurali House, the only house left over from the late 1930s working-class district. If you prefer to see the city from above, you can reach Renon/Ritten, Colle/Pichl, or San Genesio Atesino/Jenesien in a few minutes by cable car. Or perhaps you’d prefer to immerse yourself in nature after the cultural sightseeing tours? Take a stroll on the Talfer, Guntschna or Oswald promenades.

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