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Niall Twamley is the Branded Experience Analyst at the Starwood Cork CCC office and thelobby.com's offbeat expert. Today, he takes us to Bolzano/Bozen in Italy for some archaeological business.
Visitors to the Four Points by Sheraton Bolzano/Bozen may not realize that they are not far away from an international celebrity. Visitors to the local archaeological museum will be able to see “Ötzi” (The Ice Man), the 5,500 year old mummified body of a prehistoric hunter which caused a sensation in Europe when it was discovered in 1991 by 2 German tourists hiking in the high Alpine passes which straddle the border between Austria and Italy. He inhabits his own special freezer in the museum and can be seen along with the artifacts that were found with him. They paint a fascinating picture of life in Bronze Age Europe. Needless to say that the museum is extremely popular with young and old alike!
Ötzi is not the only reason to visit this charming multicultural city which is the southern gateway to the South Tyrol, an area which is territorially part of Italy, but which has more in common culturally with Austria, of which the area was a part of up to the end of World War 1 in 1918. Both German and Italian are spoken and each town and city has a bilingual name.
While Ötzi is a popular attraction for visitors to Bolzano/Bozen, it is by no means the only one. The compact city centre features many charming shops and cafes where one can sample both Italian and Austrian specialties. The city also boasts a charming fruit and vegetable market showcasing the region’s produce. The South Tyrol is one of Europe’s largest apple growing regions.
From Bolzano, the motorway leads north towards Meran/Merano and the Brenner Pass which marks the border with Austria, but a more leisurely trek along the quieter roads is well rewarded with beautiful mountain vistas and the sight of “picture postcard” castles which evoke images of a time gone by. Merano (Meran to the German speakers) has been famous as a spa town for over 150 years and is known as the "City of Flowers." The area has its own micro-climate which allows palm trees to grow all year around despite the area being ringed with high mountain peaks.
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