The capital city of South Tyrol (Trentino – Alto Adige) in northern Italy is the city of Bolzano , one of the 5 municipalities in South Tyrol where Italian is the main language. The rest of the cities in this region have German as their main language as the citizens of the area are are mostly of Austro-Bavarian heritage.
One interesting fact about Bolzano is that this is the home of the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano. Here, many lectures and seminars are help in English, German and Italian. Their motto is “Trilingual and Intercultural”. But there are many more interesting facts about Bolzano that makes it a destination for many tourists every year.
There are a few main sights of this city that a tourists mustn’t ignore.
First of all, Bolzano’s city center was built in the medieval ages, so you can admire some incredible Gothic and Romanesque churches once you arrive here. The Gothic Cathedral, with its gothic bell tower, is considered to be one of the most beautiful monuments of the city.
The Archaeological Museum is also a very interesting place to visit. It holds documentation about the area’s history, dating back to the Middle Ages. Otzi, the 5,000 year old mummy is the main attraction of the museum.
Some castles in the area need to be mentioned as well.
Maretsch Castle lies in the center of Bolzano and it is opened for the public. So is Sigmundskron Castle, which represents a symbol of the independence movement of South Tyrol. Runkelstein Castle is a must see too as the interior of the fortification is absolutely magnificent.
The most famous square of Bolzano is called Walther square. It’s surrounded by buildings in Austrian style and right in the middle of the square lies the statue of Walther von der Vogelweide, the most celebrated lyric German poet.
If you haven’t heard about a controversial square before, you have the chance to see one with your own eyes in Bolzano. Victory square is a symbol of Italian nationalism and the city’s administration wanted to name it ‘Peace square’, in order to reconcile the two ethnic groups of people who share the same city. The Italians didn’t appreciate the gesture though so that makes the square controversial.
If you come to Bolzano and if you enjoy long relaxing walk in the nature, you can take a stroll down Talferwiesen/Prati del Talvera, the city’s green lunge that extends on both parts of the river Talfer. The scenery is magnificent and it’s also quite romantic when nature comes to life.
There are also numerous events held in Bolzano. Among them, worth mentioning is the Bolzano Festival Bozen, held every summer, offering concerts and shows in Concert Houses and in some squares of the city.
The International Jazz Festival Bolzano-Bozen is quite famous too and it is held every summer.
Bolzano also offers tourists the possibility to go skiing, to swim all year long, to ice skate and to simply enjoy themselves no matter what time of the year they choose to visit the city. So, make sure you make Bolzano one of your next destinations, you will definitely enjoy the city and what it has to offer.