A very beautiful city to visit at any time of the year, between architecture, monuments, museums and splendid views.
December is approaching e Bolzano it is certainly one of the most popular destinations in this period, thanks to its famous Christmas market.
Il Old Town it is decorated with a thousand lights and many small wooden houses that house handicrafts, delicacies and Christmas decorations. The city has a festive atmosphere. The market gives us the opportunity to visit this, even if only for one day city nestled in the Alps.
Walk in the historic center
Let's start our walking tour from the heart of the historic center: Walther Square. A large square with the statue of the poet troubadour in the center Walther von der Vogelweide and overlooked by cafes, shops and hotels.
From the square you reach the Bolzano Cathedral, a majestic Gothic cathedral of Romanesque origins. On sunny days the colored marble roof shines and the chiseled bell tower, rich in details and ornaments, stands out in the clear sky. On the external side overlooking Piazza Walter, there is the porcina of wine, a Gothic portal decorated with statues representing winemakers. Inside the Cathedral, in addition to the wonderful pulpit, it is possible to visit a rich display of medieval relics and sacred items.
It can be reached from Piazza Walther Piazza del Grano, medieval center of commerce, and subsequently Via Argentieri and Via dei Portici. Here the advice is to look up towards the historic buildings, admire the stuccoes, the wrought iron signs and the erker, the typical bay windows, projected outwards to illuminate and enlarge the rooms to the fullest. Going through the arcades you can reach it Piazza delle Erbe, enriched by its annual food market and the beautiful Neptune statue, renamed by the inhabitants of Bolzano "innkeeper with a fork".
Continuing on Via Museo you will reach the Archaeological Museum of the city which houses Ötzi, the famous mummy of Similaun, and to which a large part of the museum exhibition is dedicated. Here it is possible to know everything about the discovery and the anthropological discoveries made thanks to the scientific analysis of the body and the study of the outfit of clothes and tools found next to the mummy.
The green heart of the city
At the end of Via Museo you reach the beautiful ones walks of the Talvera river, the green heart of the city, where you can take long walks, play with the children in the various play areas or sunbathe on the sunny lawns. From the walks it is possible to admire the Castel Mareccio, a few steps from the historic center, protected by a beautiful vineyard of Lagrein grapes and open to visitors throughout the year.
The Talvera bridge connects the historic center with the large Piazza della Vittoria which hosts the great one every Saturday morning city market, and where stands the fascist monument to the Italian victory over the Austro-Hungarian Empire during the First World War. The building, a large triumphal arch, houses a permanent exhibition in the underground part that contextualizes its construction.
During the sunset, always from the Talvera bridge, we witness one of the most evocative moments of the day for all Bolzano residents, when the peaks of the Rosengarten (Dolomite group of the Catinaccio) light up and are colored in intense pink and red, framing, as in a painting, the view of the historic part of the city and giving one of the most beautiful spectacles in the world.
