Bolzano, a splendid, historic city in the territory of Alto Adige also called South Tyrol located at the confluence of three rivers namely Isarco, Adige and Sarentina on the slopes of the Mendola, Tondo, Pozza and Salto Plateaus, a center of great monumental beauty, a remarkable historic marvel for its superb, artistic heritage.
To discover Bolzano I suggest yo start the visit in the central 19th century Piazza Walther dedicated to the German poet Walther von Vogeleide who appears depicted in a statue carved in white marble in the center of this Bolzano living room.
You can move to the south side of the square to stop in front of the beautiful Cathedral dedicated to the Virgin Mary where its polychrome roof stands out, a religious building erected in 1290 originally in Romanesque style on the remains of an ancient basilica but remodelled in Gothic style with Swabian influences in the late 15th century.
These architectural elements are remarkably visible in its 65.0-metre-high bell tower, a masterpiece by the German architect and sculptor Hans Lutz von Schussenreid who executed this masterpiece between 1501 and 1519 where a beautiful spire pierced in sandstone stands out.
In the 14th century, the entire complex was clad in red and yellow marble from Val Gardena and Lower South Tyrol respectively and embellished with elegant balustrades and gargoyles.
Moving on the right side you can admire the small wine door adorned with statues that represents the memory of the privileges obtained to sell this drink with two of the sculptures depicting winemakers wearing traditional Tyrolean costumes.
Visit the interior that unfortunately lost many of its frescoes due to the bombings of 1944 during the Second World War, preserving in any case those depicting the Stories of the life of St. Christopher made by the South Tyrolean painter Friedrich Pacher to whom is also attributed that of the Madonna and Child.
You will be delighted by the beautiful Gothic style used to create the apse connected to the Chapel of the Graces developed by the architect Giuseppe Dalai and then you dwell on a wonderful pulpit dating back to 1514 carved in gray sandstone by the artist Hans Lutz.
Of relevance behind the main altar, also of typical Baroque matrix is the presence of a statue depicting a Madonna del Latte of the 13th century, work of sculptors of Veronese school.
Afterwards you can take the nearby Via della Posta arriving in front of the Church of the Dominicans, a wonderful medieval example of Bolzano erected in 1270 in Gothic style.
It contains authentic masterpieces of the Paduan school of Giotto with frescoes executed between 1330 and 1370 made in the Chapel of San Giovanni among which the Triumph of Death stands out on the right side and other equally valuable ones made in the beautiful cloister next to the late Gothic ones of 1496 by Friedrich Pacher.
You will then pass in front of the Capuchin Church which boasts a high altar inside, which represents one of the best expressions of South Tyrolean Baroque.
Through Via Goethe you will reach the small Via della Mostra, an 18th century lane called the Road of the Nobility or of the High Bourgeoisie due to the presence of aristocratic palaces such as Palazzo Pock, Palazzo Campofranco and Palazzo Menz, the latter headquarters of the Banca Commerciale Italiana.
Continuation with the attractive Piazza delle Erbe, a city square that since the 13th century has been used as the site of a lively market with fruit and vegetables and meat created in 1277 by Count Mainardo who in 1277 decided to demolish a section of walls covering a wide moat creating this square that has since become the major economic and commercial hub of the capital of South Tyrol.
In this beautiful corner of the city you will admire the Fountain of Neptune represented by an extraordinary sculpture depicting the God of the sea with bronze shells, a work made in 1745.
In front of this sculptural beauty you will notice a building of 18th century origin that housed the famous Albergo del Sole, an accommodation that saw among its guests the Austrian Emperor Josef II but also artists of great fame such as Johann Gottfried Herder and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.
Next to the square is Via degli Argentieri you can see Casa Trolio erected in 1603, a street that boasts among the most beautiful Gothic houses built in the whole of Bolzano between 1400 and 1700.
Three hundred years of history that have created authentic masterpieces with residences that show magnificent protruding windows with polygonal sections on beautiful polychrome facades, many of them built by wealthy merchants who used part of their homes as warehouses and exhibition spaces for the sale of their goods and merchandise.
You will then focus on the pair of porticoes that in the past represented the areas occupied by German merchants located on the south side while the north side was intended for Italian merchants.
On the street there are also Alla Madonna, a 15th-century pharmacy located at number 17 which still enjoys great prestige for the sale of herbal teas, tinctures and oils, Aquila Nera is located at number 46, this one dating back to the 18th century and the Emporium of the South Tyrolean Craftsmen's Cooperative.
Continuation along Via Dottor Josef Streiter where the Bolzano Fish Market was held in the past, as evidenced by the marble counters visible on this road that leads to Via dei Bottai.
This beautiful passage where inns, taverns, small hotels, craftsmen's shops stood still shows some of those buildings with the original names of the past, namely Cavallino Bianco, Luna, Pavone exhibited in beautiful handcrafted wrought iron signs, a place that has beautifully maintained the charm of the past.
In a pleasant walk you can reach Piazza del Municipio where the Town Hall is located, erected in 1907 with nearby attractive buildings of Baroque and Rococo architectural matrix and then entering in Via dei Portici, the heart of the city's shopping full of boutiques, modern shops and various commercial establishments that have replaced the old craftsmen's shops in the contemporary age.
Continuation with Palazzo Mercantile dating back to 1635 which represents the emblem of the economy of Bolzano by hosting a small museum located in three small rooms called Honor,Camcelliere and Réunion which contain objects, paintings, documentation and baroque furnishings of the original eighteenth-century site, an exhibition that narrates the city's commercial history of exchanges with Italy and beyond the border.
In the nearest Piazza del Grano is the famous Casa della Pesa built in 1634 which until 1740 represented the local public weighbridge in a place where the historic agricultural market took place on the site where the old Bishop's Palace once stood.
South Tyrolean Museum of Natural Sciences located in Via dei Bottai is a further highlight developed in an attractive building of the 1700s where the administrative office of taxes, census and customs duties was located.
This exhibition will introduce as a guide the territory of South Tyrol from a geological point of view with special mention to the historical settlements in the region, the Ice Age and the formation of the Dolomites.
Through Via Vintler you will reach Piazza della Madonna where lies the beautiful Church of the Franciscans, a medieval, religious complex dating back to the 13th century which includes,in addition to the church, also a cloister and an adjoining convent both of the developed in the 14th century.
This structure with a neo-Gothic façade assumed in the late 19th century boasts a beautiful central rose window, developed with three naves without transept and a large polygonal apse. We will visit the interior where there is a wonderful wooden altar depicting the Nativity elaborated with extraordinary carvings and workmanship of the high school made in 1500 by the sculptor Hans Klocker.
You will then admire the cloister which preserves beautiful frescoes of the school of Giotto made between 1330 and 1340. According to historical documents, this church was visited by St. Francis of Assisi together with his father during a long journey of the Umbrian saint in the Triveneto.
Nearby, in Via Museo, the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology is not to be missed, spread over four floors containing various models, original pieces and ancient finds discovered in the local area with elements on display that trace the history from the Palaeolithic or 15000 years BC to the medieval period corresponding to the Carolingian era.
You will focus on Ötzi, the main highlight of the museum in the Bronze Age section, which consists of a mummified body corresponding to that of a frozen local farmer dating back to about 5300 years ago, found in 1991 in Val Senales with the clothes and objects of that time very preserved.
Continuation along Via Cassa di Risparmio, a street that preserves on its course various very attractive buildings dating back to the nineteenth century and some splendid Art Nouveau buildings where the Civic Museum is located.
Continuation towards the iron bridge erected to join two areas of Bolzano above the Talvera where in its vicinity we will see the Victory Monument which consists of a triumphal arch built between 1926 and 1928 by the architect of the fascist period Marcello Piacentini to commemorate the victory of the Italian Army against the Habsburg Army in the First World War.
The work is accompanied by sculptures by Libero Andreotti, Pietro Canonica, Arturi Dazzi and Adolfo Wildt.On the horizon you will enjoy the beautiful images of the Rosengarten Dolomite group which, as usual with the last rays of the sun, takes on a pink color at sunset.
You will then pass through Piazza della Vittoria where an important market takes place every Saturday, arriving once you have passed Piazza Mazzini in Piazza Gries in an urban area that until 1925 was independent from Bolzano.
This place famous as a climatic destination characterized by its promenade called Guncina, the green of its hills with vineyards and where hotels were built, Aristocratic villas embellished with well-kept gardens, restaurants and prestigious wine bars.
In this area you can visit the Benedictine Abbey dating back to the 18th century, erected on a stronghold of the 1400s of the Counts of Tyrol, then transformed into a castle by the last descendant of the dynasty, Countess Margherita Maulatsch, as a personal residence after having ceded the entire county to the Dukes of the House of Habsburg who invited the Augustinian Friars to build a convent to replace their previous hermitage hit by a flood.
In 1845 this religious place became the residence of the Benedictine monks fleeing from their convent in Muri in Switzerland from where they were expelled for the new reforms of the Helvetic State that began to restore the Baroque Abbey Church dating back to 1788 which has a beautiful bell tower erected on the keep that stood in the courtyard.
The complex has preserved the beautiful cloister embellished with thirteenth-century Romanesque columns from the ruins of the Augustinian Convent of Augeas.
The interior of the church boasts various frescoes and seven altarpieces by the artist Martin Knoller, while in the watchtower of the 1300s there is a museum devoted to Nativity scenes.
Not far away you will reach the wonderful Old Parish Church of the 15th century, a medieval building with a Gothic architectural profile that houses inside a valuable wooden crucifix of the thirteenth century of the French school and the magnificent casket altar with doors made between 1471 and 1475 by the sculptor Michael Pacher.
At this point the visit ends. Bolzano is a beautiful city that is always a pleasure to explore and often generates a desire to return for what it offers from every point of view.
Link : https://www.bolzano-bozen.it/en/
Where to Stay | Recommended Accomodation
Goldenstern Townhouse
Parkhotel Laurin
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