Gateway To The Dolomites

Bolzano is a fascinating contradiction ... an Italian city with a German accent and an Austrian flair. For centuries Bolzano was a place of trade on the coach route between Italy and the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the town is a melting pot of cultures.

Place names and sights around the town are written in both Italian and German but we didn't hear very much spoken Italian as we explored the medieval centre. The cafes and restaurants predominantly offer one cuisine or the other but some appeared to offer pasta, pizza, alpine cheese and dark seeded bread.

Bolzano's most famous resident Ötzi the Iceman (circa 3300 BC) lives in one of the museums ... we didn't visit him. The weather was good and spending the afternoon inside had no appeal.

Instead we squeezed Grumpy Toe back into a shoe and walked the long way to Castel Roncolo, aka Schloss Runkelstein. We were rewarded with great views and a stop at the local brewery on our way back.Les mer