South Tyrol
South Tyrol is a matter of taste: rustic or Michelin-starred cuisine, Alpine culture or Mediterranean flair, hiking and wine or skiing on 1,200 kilometers of slopes. This natural wonderland is home to numerous Alpine resorts with dream views and guaranteed enjoyment - all year round.
At over 2,240 meters at the Sella Pass, chic cars with Italian license plates are parked. A bright blue sky contrasts with the reddish-brown peaks. The beauty of the Dolomites, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is impressive; you could go hiking in this natural setting. You could! Unless, of course, you are one of the elegant Italian women who wear high heels instead of practical outdoor shoes for a short pit stop at the top of the pass. Elegance meets nature - this applies to the whole of South Tyrol, even if the name doesn't suggest it. Alto Adige, South Tyrol's Italian name, sounds more like what the province between the Brenner Pass and the Salurno Gate in the north of the boot republic is: a destination in contemporary country house style, loving its traditions but living in the present. Great food and drink, de luxe accommodation and exquisite shopping - all this is possible between mountains almost 4,000 meters high and valleys with a Mediterranean climate and pretty historic towns such as Bolzano and Merano.
There is no such thing as "the" highlight in South Tyrol. Rather very individual ones. For anyone who bought a skirt for little money in Bolzano in the early 1980s, which was their favorite item for a long time, South Tyrol's capital has a firm place in their personal shopping city ranking. And it still is today!
Skiing with a pleasure factor
You don't have to tell skiers anything anyway. 1,200 kilometers of slopes and 450 lifts in twelve ski resorts speak for themselves; even if artificial snow has become commonplace. As a skier with a penchant for wine, South Tyrol offers a wonderful additional benefit: When ski resorts and pistes are still covered in deep snow in spring, the valleys are usually already free of snow - the climate there is too mild. For the winegrowers, the differences in altitude with their different microclimates are a blessing. Alois Lageder, Rainer Loacker, Elena Walch and Co. have ushered in a new era of wine, and their products have long been playing in the top league worldwide. This means three things for local enjoyment: gourmets can visit the wineries and taste the wines on site. The restaurants offer wine lists with a South Tyrolean focus. And: some wines are much cheaper here than at home.
Where the bacon goes on your hips - and off again!
To get to know culinary South Tyrol, motorcyclists and racing cyclists - perhaps not the professionals from the Giro d'Italia, who only pass through South Tyrol as part of the route at high speed, but amateur cyclists - do it right. You don't stay in one place, so you can get to know a variety of cuisines on a small scale: wafer-thin pizzas, down-to-earth regional products such as speck, Kaminwurzen or mountain cheese, creative gourmet cuisine with one or two stars. One of the most exciting and equally delicious cycle tours leads along the South Tyrolean Wine Road. Pretty villages such as Eppan, Tramin, Terlan, Kurtatsch or Magreid promise countless excellent gourmet addresses in wineries and wine shops, cozy inns and picturesque residences.
Skiers, on the other hand, literally climb culinary peaks. Some run-of-the-mill mountain huts have become sophisticated gourmet huts serving down-to-earth cuisine at gourmet level. Ibex meat, still a popular specialty today, was the last meal Ötzi ate. The mummified glacier corpse was found around twenty years ago on the border with Austria near the Tisenjoch - the ArcheoParc active archaeological museum devotes all its attention to the Iceman.
In the heavenly realm of Reinhold Messner and Empress Sisi
Another attraction of South Tyrol: the region has museums worth seeing and experiencing. One name you come across again and again is Reinhold Messner. At the foot of the Ortler, South Tyrol's highest mountain at 3,905 meters, you will find the MMM Ortles in the traditional mountaineering and winter sports resort of Sulden. There, Messner talks about the horrors of ice, snow people and snow lions and the meteorological phenomenon of "whiteout". The extreme mountaineer also had Juval Castle restored in the Ötztal Alps. In the lofty building, which can be seen from afar and which he partly uses as a residence, he presents his Tibetan collection and his mountain picture gallery.
A natural and cultural experience of a completely different kind can be experienced a few kilometers further on in Merano. Visitors can enjoy the mild climate and lush Mediterranean plants and flowers in the gardens of Trauttmansdorff Castle, which Empress Sisi visited several times to relax. Here, those who wish can follow in her footsteps. Her enthusiasm for Merano, the surrounding area and the kitschy, beautiful village of Tyrol is still shared by many visitors today - a fact that makes this area the undisputed tourist stronghold of the region.
However, just like Merano, the capital city of Bolzano also offers pretty arcades and boutiques and is as picturesque as it is lively. Bolzano is easy to explore on foot and you can experience Italian flair in the cafés and restaurants around Walterplatz square. The city of 100,000 inhabitants is also home to the new and respectable "Museion - Museum of Modern Art".
Bolzano is also Reinhold Messner's third home: just beyond the city limits, Sigmundskron Castle, one of the oldest castles in South Tyrol, is enthroned high on a rock above the confluence of the Adige and Isarco rivers. The castle has great political significance for the country: in 1957, over 30,000 citizens demonstrated here for the autonomy of their homeland. Since 2006, Sigmundskron has been home to the newly opened MMM Firmian Museum, the heart of the now five Mountain Messner Museums. First and foremost, however, cultural interest should be focused on the most beautiful aspects of the northern Italian province.
Above all, the sense of enjoyment that is rooted deep within the South Tyrolean people and manifests itself in their unparalleled hospitality. Once you have experienced this, you can be sure that the "Dolce Vita" is not only at home in Rome.
Photo: (c) Clemens Zahn / IDM South Tyrol
Gourmets are guaranteed to get their money's worth at Pur Südtirol. Eat and drink, try and taste, choose and take home the best of the region. The best, that is 1,400 South Tyrolean products, which are presented on 450 square meters of sales and enjoyment space in the Merano Kurhaus. These include bread and dairy products, typical specialties such as speck and Kaminwurz, wines, spirits and all kinds of farm products, as well as arts and crafts, books and even cosmetics. There are also gastronomic experiences and regular tastings.
Via Libertà 35, 39012 Merano
www.pursuedtirol.com
Bevölkerung
507.657
Sprache
Deutsch, Italienisch, Ladinisch
Größte Stadt
Bolzano
Hauptstadt
Bolzano
Religion
Roman Catholic
Weather
Südtirol liegt an der „Südseite der Alpen“ und vereint die Vorzüge eines Berglandes (besonders im Winter) mit den Annehmlichkeiten eines vergleichsweise milden Klimas (in den Tallagen).
Beste Reisezeit
Die beste Reisezeit Südtirol und Bozen und Meran ist von Mai bis in den Oktober hinein. Im Hochsommer kann es schon sehr warm werden. Der Herbst ist ideal zum Wandern in Südtirol.
Klima
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
| Max. Temperaturen | 6 | 9 | 14 | 19 | 23 | 27 | 30 | 28 | 25 | 18 | 11 | 7 |
| Min. Temperaturen | -5 | -3 | -1 | 5 | 9 | 12 | 15 | 15 | 11 | 6 | 0 | -4 |
| Sonnenstunden | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 |
| Regentage | 4 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 6 | 5 | 4 |
Zeitverschiebung
+0h
Währung
Euro
Visa
EU: EU-Bürger benötigen für die Einreise nach Italien einen gültigen Reisepass oder Personalausweis.
Schweiz: Schweizer benötigen zur Einreise nach Italien die gültige Identitätskarte oder den Reisepass. Für Aufenthalte bis zu drei Monaten: gültige Identitätskarte oder einen seit weniger als fünf Jahren abgelaufenen Schweizer Pass.
South Tyrolean food - Schüttelbrot, Schlutzer and Vernatsch
Because regional and authentic food is currently in vogue, South Tyrol is increasingly becoming a year-round destination for connoisseurs. Especially as Italy's northernmost region boasts 15 Michelin-starred chefs as well as numerous first-class rural cuisines. Curd cheese dumplings, which come in countless variations, are probably one of the most popular dishes in South Tyrol. After all, you don't need stars or toques to eat and drink well in South Tyrol.
Rifugio Emilio Camici
Excellent food is available in the Dolomites even at the hut while skiing. The Rifugio Emilio Comici (2,154 m) at the foot of the Sassolungo directly on the Sella Ronda is probably the highest fish restaurant anywhere and combines South Tyrolean tradition with Mediterranean influences. After all, the owners, the Marzola family, still farm in Grado on the Adriatic.
Plan de Gralba 24, 39048 Selva Val Gardena, Tel.: +39 0471 794121, www.rifugiocomici.com
St. Hubertus at the Hotel Rosa Alpina
Norbert Niederkofler has made a decisive contribution to the brilliant development of South Tyrolean cuisine. He is one of the initiators of the "Cool the Mountain" project, which promotes sustainable cultivation and aims to give the region a new culinary identity. Niederkofler has been at the stove in the cozy and elegant gourmet restaurant since 1996 and was the first chef in South Tyrol to be awarded two stars by the Michelin Guide in 2007. One of his classic dishes is fillet of beef cooked in a salt crust with mountain hay.
Strada Micurá de Rü, 20, 39030 San Cassiano in Badia, Tel.: +39 0471 849500, www.rosalpina.it
Jasmin at the Hotel Bischofhof
The shooting star of the gourmet scene between the Brenner Pass and the Wine Road is the young Martin Obermarzoner, head chef at the "Jasmin" in Klausen. At the age of 24, he was already the youngest star chef in Italy. He caused a sensation with his four to 15-course fish menu in particular and showed that the sea is never that far away in South Tyrol.
Griesbruck 4, 39043 Klausen, Tel.: +39 0472 847448, www.bischofhof.it
Restaurant Zum Löwen
South Tyrol's top chef Anna Matcher demonstrates how well South Tyrolean tradition and Mediterranean influences go together in her creative and extremely tasty menus with courses such as monkfish bruschetta, roast pink local lamb with bean and potato gröstl and curd cheese dumplings with raspberries and raspberry espuma. In addition to their tasting menu, Matcher always offers a menu of fine local dishes.
Hauptstraße 72, 39010 Tisens, Tel.: +39 0473 920927, www.zumloewen.it
Kallmünz
The restaurant is located in the heart of Merano's old town and is part of the 16th century Kalmünz Castle ensemble. The Nepolitan chef Luigi Ottaiano celebrates creative Italian cuisine in a historically simple yet contemporary setting, occasionally enriched with Asian influences such as turbot in red wine sauce/wasabi, savoy cabbage blanched in lemon and sugar snap peas. And sommelier Masashi Yamashita is the master of 450 carefully selected wines.
Sandplatz 12, 39012 Merano, Tel.: +39 0473 212917, www.kallmuenz.it
Gasthof Kirchsteiger
Chef Christian Pircher has a two-pronged approach at his pretty inn in Völlan. Excursionists and gourmets can choose between the pub and the gourmet restaurant. The latter was awarded 16 points by Gault Millau. In summer, you can also enjoy the tasting menu and à la carte dishes such as white tomato mousse with crayfish or rabbit fillet wrapped in raw ham on balsamic lentils on the beautiful sun terrace.
Probst-Wieser-Weg 5, 39011 Völlan/Lana, Tel.: +39 0473 568044, www.kirchsteiger.com
Sightseeing in South Tyrol - monasteries, museums and castles Sightseeing in South Tyrol, jewel of the Alps. South Tyrol is definitely worth seeing and lovable. The friendly inhabitants, the numerous castles and palaces, the many attractions and not least the excellent cuisine make this small country a popular vacation destination. South Tyrol impresses with its diversity and multifaceted nature - the landscape varies between rugged mountain peaks and gently rolling hills, and the different villages and dialects throughout the country are just as varied
Numerous attractions await you in South Tyrol, that's for sure, such as the magnificent gardens of Trauttmannsdorf Castle in Merano, where the Austrian Empress Sissi enjoyed the beautiful plants and flowers. Bolzano, the provincial capital, also awaits you with numerous attractions and invites you to go sightseeing. Not to mention the charming little villages and valleys of South Tyrol, which are just waiting to be visited by you!
Shopping in South Tyrol - shopping in a special way
Due to its proximity to Italy, South Tyrol is of course the perfect place to shop for real Italian fashion. The cities of Bolzano and Merano are particularly suitable for this. But South Tyrol doesn't just have a lot to offer when it comes to fashion. Isn't it the culinary specialties that are associated with the land of the Dolomites?
Fruit ripens particularly well in the Mediterranean climate and the fruit tree harvests are a popular event. In this sense, South Tyrolean wine is also a very fine drop - the vines feel at home on the sun-drenched slopes. Not forgetting the famous speck, sausage and ham in many variations. South Tyrol also has a lot to offer when it comes to arts and crafts - many artists have settled here and enrich the region.
Hotels
