Bolzano Province

Bike Tour Trento Italy

The Autonomous Province of Alto Adige / Sud Tirol lies at the climatic intersection point between the bracing north and the warm south. Sud Tirol has therefor long been a meeting point for traders, carriers, pilgrims and keen travellers, which has required the setting up of suitable accommodation. As Trentino, it is rich in valleys from which you can often have a different view of the same spectacular peaks. The Sud Tirol shares with Trentino a unique mountain landscape of exceptional beauty, with jagged pinnacles, craggy ridges and sheer rock faces: the Dolomites.These mountains, so often described, painted and sung about are yours to be experienced, climbed and to get to know. No where else in Italy is there as many nature reserves as there are in this province.

With in the province there are many Dolomite legends, customs and traditions that speak a language of their own, reflecting the fascinating world of the "pale mountains" to explore. But also the hay-baths of Vûls, the famous local costumes, the farmers' weddings in Kastelruth, the medieval Viles of the Badia valley - all are testimony to a rich and eventful past.

If the Dolomites are the Queen of the entire region the Drei Zinnen pinnacles in the Pustertal valley are certainly the King. In the beginning when the Earth's crust burst asunder, the highest peaks and jagged ridges were formed: the Pustertal valley. If you were to fly over South Tyrol's "greenest valley" you would clearly make out not only the "Drei Zinnen" pinnacles but many other awe-inspiring mountains.

In Summer the whole SudTirol invites you to lap up the sun, to enjoy the clear mountain air, to go for a walk in its forests, to enjoy the green-blue of its lakes and streams. You can visit its castles and chapels rich in history and art, the result of centuries of cultural, economic, political and religious exchanges, some peaceful other not. SudTirol is a string of villages and unique towns like Bolzano-Bolzen, Meran-Merano and Toblach/Dobbiaco. Bolzen is the Provice-Capital. Meran, with its orchards and vineyards, the sub-tropical vegetation with palms and cypress trees, the magnificent Liberty-style buildings, the promenades, the imposing castles (among them Schloss Tirol, the ancestral home of the Counts of Tyrol) - has drawn famous and not so famous visitors since immemorial time. In 1909, Gustav Mahler said this about Toblach/Dobbiaco : "It is wonderful here and certainly heals body and soul" . In the Toblach's woods the wind still brings the notes of the "The song of the Earth", the most famous Mahler Symphonies.

For winter sports there are about 416 lifts with about 800 kilometres of ski pistes,

1,800 kilometres of cross-country ski trails, over 90 toboggan tracks, some 60 ski-schools as well as ten artificial ice-rinks, 44 natural ice-rinks and two artificial ice stadium.

Bike Tour Bolzano

HISTORY OF THE BOLZANO PROVINCE

From a historical point of view, you should remember that, after the Second World War a basic agreement was reached within the framework of the peace negotiations in Paris: on 5 September 1946 the "Paris Agreement" was signed by the Italian Prime Minister Degasperi and de Austrian Foreign Minister Gruber, and annexed to the peace treaty with Italy, so that the South Tyrol Question was thereby given international standing.

This agreement provided, amongst other things, for Italy to give the Province of South Tyrol an autonomous legislative and executive power. Italy believed it could fulfil this obligation with the issue of an Autonomous Statute, adopted by the Constituent Assembly on 31 January 1948. Despite string opposition from the South Tyrolese representatives, the autonomy which in the Paris Agreement had been foreseen for South Tyrol alone was extended in the 1948 Autonomy Statute to the Trentino, and the "Region Trentino - Tiroler Etschland" (Trentino - Upper Adige) was created.

TOP CITIES IN THE BOLZANO PROVINCE:

Bolzano (Bozen) – City in center of region, pretty medieval center, home to archaeology museum where Ötzi the Iceman lies, 12th century Gothic cathedral
Merano (Meran) – Spa resort town in a valley surrounded by mountains, home to a castle which houses a regional museum of tourism
Bressanone (Brixen) – Ski resort city in northern part of region, near the Brenner Pass, home to a 10th century cathedral, 11th century Parish church, 13th century palace, Pharmacy Museum

TOP THINGS TO VISIT OR DO IN THE BOLZANO PROVINCE

Mezzacrona Wine Zone- Wonderful area producing some to the best white wines in Italy

Tre Cima di Laverona - One of the signature mountain groups in the Dolomite's

Passo Stelvio - Voted one of the worlds most beautiful roads, it winds it way up to the Italian Alps

Castelrotto | Bolzano Province

Italiaoutdoors Travel Guide to Italy

Castelrotto | Bolzano Province

Communita di Castelrotto

TOWN OF CASTELROTTO | TRENTINO ALTO ADIGE Castelrotto - Kastelruth, Province of Bolzano, Trentino Alto Adige, Italy. It is a "comune-mercato" (a town with medieval market rights) in the centre of the District of Salto -Sciliar (Salten-Schlern), with part of its territory within the Schlern park, at the foot of the Dolomites. The municipality consists of the main town of Castelrotto and ten "frazioni", including also the extensive Seiser Alm, the plateau occupying almost half of the area. The Seiser Alm is nature reserve, a smaller part belongs to the Nature Park Sciliar-Rosengarten. The three villages Bulla, Roncadizza and Oltretorrente lie on the south-western side of Val Gardena and thus belong to the Ladin language area. The name "Castelruptum" appears for the first time in a document of 982-987 of Albuino, the Bishop of Bressanone. The remains of Castelvecchio - a massive square tower, traces of walls and brick huts - point to the presence of a fortified village in medieval times. In the 13th century the area became property of the Count Meinhard II of Gorizia-Tyrol and then passed to the Lords of Castelrotto. In 1348 the castle was owned by Duke Konrad Teck, the captain of the Adige department. In the early 15th century, the fiefdom passed to the Hauenstein family and large permanent farms were established. Shortly afterwards Hungarian Michael Kraus became the lord of the castle, and was famous for his wealthy estates and charitable works. He was later buried in the chapel of the tower, where his tomb is still located today. His grandson Jakob Kraus was ennobled by Emperor Rudolf II in 1607; he proceeded to the demolition of the castle, creating a chapel for the village dedicated to St. Anthony; Jacob's son Georg Kraus (1675) established a natural park with seven small chapels and three large crucifixes. In 1847 the house became extinct. In the centuries the income of the inhabitants came mostly from the breeding of cattle, supported by vast alpine meadows. In the course of the 20th century tourism gradually became the main economic activity. WHAT TO SEE IN CASTELROTTO The Hauenstein Castle (Castelvecchio) in Siusi / Seis am Schlern, a ruined castle dating from the 12th century, above the village of Seis. Located at 1273 m in a dense forest at the foot of the Schlern, about 1 km west the Castle Salegg is located.

PLANNING AN OUTDOOR ADVENTURE AND NEED SOME PLANNING, TRAINING, OR GENERAL QUESTIONS CONTACT US AT mailto:This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Campo Tures | Bolzano Province

Italiaoutdoors Travel Guide to Italy

Campo Tures | Bolzano Province

Communita di Campo Tures

TOWN OF CAMPO TURES | TRENTINO ALTO ADIGE Campo Tures - Sand in Taufers, Province of Bolzano, Trentino Alto Adige, Italy. Campo Tures - Sand in Taufers is located in Val di Tures, along the Aurino (Ahr) river, in the north-east of the the District of Val Pusteria / Pustertal. It is also a "comune mercato", a town with historical market rights not surrounded by walls, as was usual in Bayern, Austria and South Tyrol. The first mention of Tures appears in in the Brixner book from 1050 to 1065, the names Sand Maurizien and Sant appear from 1296 to 1410. The history of the place is closely linked to the medieval lords of Taufers, whose most famous representative was Hugo von Taufers. This dynasty were wassals of the bishops of Bressanone. Between 1908 and 1957 the town was connected to the electric railway through Brunico Bruneck-Campo Tures. In 1926 the community took the official name of "Campo Tures" including the eight smaller communities of Sand, Drittelsand, Ahornach, Rein, Kematen, Mühlen, Mühlwald and Lappach. The latter two were soon separated, however, to form the comune of Mühlwald. In the course of Italianization by the fascists the places were renamed or translated into Italian. The Italian names are officially valid in addition to the original German names. WHAT TO SEE IN CAMPO TURES Tures Castle (Burg Taufers), among the most beautiful castles in South Tyrol, where many exhibitions are held throughout the year, and which was used also as a film setting. In Moritzen, the old town with the church dedicated to St. Maurice. the Riva waterfalls (Reinbachfälle), which can be visited on foot, after a light walk in the woods, starting from the Bagno Winkel. the Residenza Neumelans, built in the late-Renaissance 1582-83 by Hans Fieger, at the time a judge of the mining area, then property of the noble families of Zeiller, Ottenthal and Schober Families. Since 1989 it has become the seat of the Tauferer Musikwoche, a biennial classical music event first established by musician Mario Russo.

PLANNING AN OUTDOOR ADVENTURE AND NEED SOME PLANNING, TRAINING, OR GENERAL QUESTIONS CONTACT US AT mailto:This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Braies | Bolzano Province

Town Of Braies | Bolzano Province

TOWN OF BRAIES | TRENTINO ALTO ADIGE Braies, Province of Bolzano, Trentino Alto Adige, Italy. Known as, Prags in German, the commune consists of a number of small hamlets spread along the southern side of the Pusteria valley, in the vicinity of the picturesque Braies lake, at 1490m a.s.l., surrounded by evergreen forests, at the foot of the Dolomite summits of Croda del Becco (2810m.) and Sasso del Signore (2418m). EXPLORING THE BRAIES (PRAGS) AREA Most people make their way to Braies to visit the small lake of Braies, seen in many social media photos. Braies is also the start point for the Alta Vie Dolomite #1 Route. Best time to visit the lake is early morning at first light. It can get very crowded after 0900 to late afternoon. Also the paid parking area can fill up quickly.

PLANNING AN OUTDOOR ADVENTURE AND NEED SOME PLANNING, TRAINING, OR GENERAL QUESTIONS CONTACT US AT mailto:This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Caldaro Sulla Strada del Vino | Bolzano Province

Italiaoutdoors Travel Guide to Italy

Caldaro | Bolzano Province

Communita di Caldaro Sulla Strada del Vino

TOWN OF CALDARO SULLA STRADA DEL VINO | TRENTINO ALTO ADIGE Caldaro sulla Strada del Vino - Kaltern an der Weinstraße, Province of Bolzano, Trentino Alto Adige, Italy. Kaltern an der Weinstraße in German, Caldaro sulla strada del vino (Caldaro s.s.d.v.), is a tourist village in South Tyrol, famous for its lake (Kalterersee) and wine (Kalterersee Auslese). The cuisine combines Italian pasta with Tyrolean "knödel" (dumplings). This mixture can well be seen in Tyrolean style pizza. Also the architecture is interesting, the result of a fusion of Italian Renaissance and Tyrol tradition. The nearby Dolomite area is known for its bicycle tours.

PLANNING AN OUTDOOR ADVENTURE AND NEED SOME PLANNING, TRAINING, OR GENERAL QUESTIONS CONTACT US AT mailto:This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Badia-Abtei | Bolzano Province

Badia | Bolzano Province

TOWN OF BADIA - ABTEI | TRENTION ALTO ADIGE Badia - Abtei, Province of Bolzano, Trentino Alto Adige, Italy. Badia - Abtei belongs with Corvara in Badia (Kurfar), San Martino in Badia (St Martin in Thurn) and La Valle (Wengen) to the main Ladin communities in the Badia Valley. It is a "comune sparso", that is, a comune that includes villages of various names, none of which has the name of the municipality; the townhall is situated in the "frazione" of Pedraces. The area can be reached through the valley of San Lorenzo and over several mountain passes like the Valparola and the Gardena Pass, which can be only used in the snow-free period. Badia is included in the administrative entity ("comprensorio") of the Val Pusteria (Pustertal), in the south-east of the Province, bordering the two communes of the Belluno Province Cortina d'Ampezzo and Livinallongo del Col di Lana. Its territory is in the Puez-Geisler and Fanes-Sennes-Prags Nature Parks, and surrounded by the summits of Lagazuoi (2778 m), Conturines (3064 m), Lavarela (3055 m), Heiligkreuzkofel (2907 m) and Gardenaccia (2500 m). The history of the area and its mountain villages is closely linked with the medieval colonization by the Benedictine convent of Sonnenburg in the nearby Val Pusteria, from which abbey ("Badia" in Italian) the name is derived. Badia belonged up to the end of World War I to the Austrian jurisdiction of Enneberg and was part of the district of Brunico. HOW TO EXPLORE THE TOWN OF BADIA The town of Badia is a good base for exploring the Dolomites. There are plenty of good hiking and mountain biking. I do not recommend as a base for road biking due to there being to much road traffic and you are not in a good position to tackle many of the great passes.

NEED HELP PLANNING YOUR ITALY VACATION Italy is one of the most diverse places in the world to visit but there is more to the country then Venice, Florence, Roma, Cinque Terre and a couple of other top attractions. If you plan you days well and understand how to move around within the country you can a great cost effective vacation full of activity, history, culture, and great food and wine. Contact us to get the insights to travel in Italy. We offer: Travel Consultant- book time online for a web chat to answer your questions about traveling in Italy. Travel Planning - need help outlining and planning your adventure in Italy. Scheduled Tours - each month we lead a scheduled tour for those looking to join a small group to explore. Travel support: Bike Touring - routes, bike rental, bag transfers. Walking/Hiking Tours - routes, bag transfers. Booking assistance and suggested contacts. Italiaoutdoors Travel Planning and Guide Services