South Tyrol

Once past the border, which is now purely geographical, since there are no longer any frontiers in Europe, we reach the South Tyrol, one of Italy’s semi-autonomous provinces, and it’s easy to see why. This is the southernmost portion of the greater Tyrolean area, but also the northernmost part of Italy. You’ll notice, probably with some surprise, that the road names and the signs identifying public buildings are all bilingual, in both German and Italian. Bilingualism is an everyday reality here that sometimes even extends to trilingualism, as a portion of the population also speaks Ladin, an archaic neolatin language spoken also in Friuli and in the Swiss Grisons. In this fertile ground of different cultures and traditions, the visitor is treated to a constant succession of surprises and contradictions, and the South Tyrol, in its role as a bridge between many cultures, is perhaps the region that best represents the Via Claudia Augusta. In any of the churches of the area, you’re very likely to see a Flugelaltar – the wooden altar with doors so typical of Northern Europe – alongside a series of eminently Italian Giottoesque frescoes, or you may find yourself feeling like Hercules at the fork in the road, as you have to decide whether to tuck into a feast of Knödel and Weißwurst, or a dish of pasta and tomato with a sprinkling of Grana cheese. Our advice would be to enter into the spirit of this extraordinary region, and to try changing your point of view now and again without, however, straying from the path of genuineness: otherwise, the ghost of a Roman Centurion is liable to appear from the Via Claudia Augusta and steer you back on the right track with his ‘gentle’ manners…

 However, there is still much road ahead before we reach civilisation. Check your chain and, most importantly, your brakes well before crossing the Passo Resia/Reschenpass, which has connected northern and southern Europe since prehistoric times. The majestic and impressive landscape will, especially if surrounded by fog, make you believe you’re in a painting by Friedrich, with an impression of having strayed too high. But have no fear, this epiphany will be assuaged as you reach the manmade Lake Resia/Reschensee, with its magnificent vista of peaks that seem to crown it. In this swirl of sensations, an almost spectral apparition rises from the centre of the lake: it is the bell tower of an old church, submerged not by a tsunami but, rather, by the controlled actions of humankind.

 As you pedal at a brisk pace towards Malles/Mals, don’t forget to look out for the beautiful rowan bushes that tinge the evergreen palette of these landscapes with red. We eventually reach the principal town in the Alta Val Venosta/Obervinschgaus, Malles/Mals, which was already a stopover point along the Via Claudia Augusta in Roman times and is now a picturesque little town, with numerous towers and steeples. After a satisfying repast of excellent local game, washed down with a good glass of red wine, we’re now ready to explore every nook of this place, with interesting things to see in even the most unusual of corners, such as the cemetery, with its characteristic rows of quiet chapels.  There’s no shortage of churches, and you don’t need to be an art historian to appreciate their precious content. We particularly recommend a visit to the church of the Convento dei Cappuccini/Kapuzinerkloster, the parochial church and the church of San Michele/St. Michae, which, above its great doors, still conserves frescoes from the early XVI Century. The real gem of the town is, however, the little church of San Benedetto/St. Benedikt from the IX Century. This church is actually home to the most important cycle of Carolingian paintings in Europe, that are so inspiring that you’ll become an impromptu iconographist, trying to guess the meaning of the subjects depicted, without cheating and reading the guide. Our advice is to simply contemplate these 1200-year old paintings in awe, spending a little longer to ponder the image of the austere and inscrutable priest holding a model of the church in his hand.
After the grandeur of this intense experience in art and history, it is now time to unhurriedly move on to Glorenza/Glurns which, for the record, is the smallest town in Italy, and has fortuitously preserved its original mediaeval charm, which is in perfect harmony with its picturesque alpine surroundings. The best way to enjoy the town is from the table of a bar in the centre, savouring the terse sky overhead and the sparkling air that you breathe here, which – incredibly – no-one has thought of bottling yet, to then sell at a premium in the polluted metropolises. After having completed an obligatory tour of the surrounding walls and meticulously photographed the gateways topped by lofty towers, it’s time to try some of the culinary delights of which there is no shortage at Glorenza/Glurns. Don’t let yourself get too carried away by the mediaeval atmosphere, overfacing yourself on game, which is truly excellent here: remember what happened to Charlemagne, who ate so many roasts he ended up with gout. More importantly, remember to leave a little room for an exquisite strudel stuffed with apples, raisins and pine nuts. Each patisserie has its own recipe, and what better pastime than trying to find the minute, delicious differences between each one?

 Remaining on a mediaeval note, it’s time to remount your steeds to the sound of trumpets and drums, and head off towards Sluderno/Schluderns, dominated by Castel Coira/Churburg from the nearby slopes. But, before we reach this delightful castle, with is well stocked collection of historical arms, take a stroll through the centre of the town. The most curious of all sights are the statues of saints which, in a baroque taste for the macabre, are made from real skeletons taken from Roman catacombs and dressed in knightly garb and trappings, hosted in the parochial church of Santa Caterina/St. Katharina. As soon as you pass through the doors of the picturesque castle, you’ll be awed by the style that this castle has kept intact for centuries, with antique furniture, period paintings and sculptures and large and comprehensive collections of arms from the Middle Ages, the Renaissance and other eras, with pikes, halberds, helmets, swords, arrows and everything else a soldier of the time could have needed. Before setting off again, don’t forget to raise a toast, in one of the numerous bars in the area, to the Trapps, the counts who have owned this fortress for centuries, restoring it to its ancient glories and, in some cases, adding a touch of modernity, such as the castle’s large swimming pool.

 The next leg in our journey takes us past many more castles, such as those at Castelbello-Ciàrdes/Kastellbell-Tschars and Castel Juvale/Schloss Juval. The first, which was partially gutted by a disastrous fire in 1824, is now home to the Mostra permanente Via Claudia Augusta/Dauerausstellung zur Via Claudia Augusta (Permanent Exhibition of the Via Claudia Augusta), which is well worth a visit for a brief view of how the area was in Roman times. Castel Juval is much more unusual, and is owned by the world-famous mountaineer Reinhold Messner. Its halls, which are over seven centuries old, host the proprietor’s collections dedicated to the high-altitude mountain environment. The collections include paintings on the subject, but also intriguing objects collected by the owner during his countless journeys around the world. So there’s even a little piece of Tibet here in the South Tyrol!
 As we continue through the dreamlike landscapes, we eventually arrive at Naturno/Naturns, where, unless you’ve already seen enough of them, you can visit the town’s magnificent castle with period decor. It’s time for a hearty meal – try the excellent Weinsuppe offered here, which is a soup made of meat broth, egg yolk, a drop of cream and white wine, accompanied with cubes of bread – and then a visit to the nearby church, only a few minutes away, of San Procolo/St. Prokulus, to admire its beautiful cycle of XV Century frescoes and another fresco from the VIII Century – the oldest in the region – that almost seems related to Irish miniatures.

 Continuing unhurriedly through the refreshing countryside, we reach Parcines/Partschins, a fruit farming town that also hosts a curious museum that will not escape your eye for the unusual. This is a typewriter museum, dedicated to the unfortunate inventor Peter Mitterhofer, who used to live here. He was unfortunate because none of his prototype typewriters ever had the same success that, only a few years later, similar machines earned in America. The museum has a collection of over a thousand exhibits, tracing a path from the first, fantastic experiments to the digital age of personal computers. On the subject of writing, the nearby village of Rablà/Rabland is the site of where one of the two important milestones were discovered that document the existence of the Via Claudia Augusta. Until the original is displayed at the Civic Museum in Bolzano/Bozen, you can see a copy of the stone displayed here.

A glance at our notebook reveals that we’ve already covered many a mile. And you’re right – how can you stop when there's always a new treasure to be discovered just up the road? And so, little by little and treasure by treasure, we’ve already covered hundreds of kilometres. So it’s now time for an essential stopover, for a salutary, relaxing and pleasant rest. Soothe your muscles in this garden of Eden of spa baths, which are too many to count here at Merano/Meran. This is the ideal place to recharge your batteries. The city does not only offer spa baths, but also ancient medicinal practices such as Traubenkur, or grape therapy, which was already in use during the time of the Hapsburgs. Many of the hotels in the area propose menus specially created around this treatment, which eliminates the toxins that, in spite of your sporting lifestyle, have still managed to hide away somewhere in your body and which, sooner or later, you're bound to feel the effects of.
Merano also has a lot to offer in terms of culture. The city’s culture spans from archaeological times – Merano was also a stopover settlement along the Via Claudia Augusta – through the Middle Ages and the modern era (you must see the cathedral, the Civic Museum and the church of Santa Barbara/St. Barbara, with its gothic doored altar), up to contemporary times, at the Kunst Meran/Merano Arte, a brand new exhibition facility hosted in the picturesque porticos of the centre. This city of culture and healthy is also a great starting point for some beautiful hiking trails. Of the many, with evocative names such as Passeggiata d’Estate/Sommerpromenade and Passeggiata d’Inverno/Winterpromenade (The Summer Walk and The Winter Walk), we particularly recommend the hike to Castel Tirolo/Schloss Tirol, the historical residence of the Tyrolean counts, adorned with XV Century frescoes and Romanesque  bas-reliefs. Simply unique!

To build up your strength again, here you can try everything that South Tyrolean gastronomy has to offer. Between a dish of Knödel and a carving board loaded with speck and Schuttelnbrott, a thin, crispy bread, don’t forget to order a tankard of Forst – the typical beer of Merano. This beer has been made in the area since 1857 in a charming brewery which we highly recommend a visit to (as if you needed asking!), where, even if only to end the day in style, you can eat and drink in the brewery’s official bierkeller. Try the bitter Pils, or the creamy Kronen and the delicious, double bock Sixtus; beers that you’ll come to love immediately but will soon betray, as your journey takes you further south, where the vine makes an appearance along with its progeny, wine.

 Whether you reach Bolzano/Bozen via the convenient cycle path along the river Adige/Etsch, or by cheating and taking one of the many regional trains linking Merano to the capital of the province, one thing is certain: you’ll need to spend quite a while in Bolzano, because the city offers a great deal to see and – of course, taste. Bolzano, the Roman Pons Drusi, is imbued with a magical atmosphere and is a genuine fusion of Italian and German culture. Art is perhaps the best language to express this intermingling. For example, if you’re more interested in the gothic era, visit the Duomo and the churches of the Dominican and Franciscan monks: you’ll see tangible proof of how, along the Via Claudia Augusta, apparently opposing cultures have coexisted in harmony for centuries. As we were saying, there is really a lot to do in Bolzano. For those of you unwilling to miss even a single of the city’s cultural attractions, why not start in chronological order, at the archaeological museum? Here, at a constant temperature of -6°C, Ötzi is preserved, the mummy from Similaun who lived around 5300 years ago and was discovered in Val Senales/Schnalstal, complete with cloak, axe, bow and arrows. A leap to the opposite end of the spectrum takes you to the Museion, the museum of contemporary art. If it’s an excursion you’re after, take a trip to the frescoed Castel Roncolo/Runkelstein, which hosts many exhibitions. The historical town centre is an open air work of art in its own right, with frescoed facades, baroque buildings and picturesque porticos that invite you for a spot of retail therapy. This city is so easy to fall in love with that you’ll undoubtedly want to come back just before Christmas, to see the market spilling over with the products of South Tyrolean craftsmanship, held in the central Piazza Walther/Waltherplatz, also known as the lounge of Bolzano. You’re spoilt for choice if you want to treat your senses: from the ice cream parlour offering flavours from poppy to sage to the Osteria serving succulent meats, and the stalls around the central Piazza delle Erbe/Obstmarkt, where you can always pick up a steaming Würstel hot dog dripping in mustard after a peaceful afternoon in the most beautiful corner of the city – the Talvera gardens.
We now slowly continue southwards, and soon reach Trentino. The first sign that we’ve entered a different region is the increasing presence of vineyards. The fruit of the vine is truly excellent here, as is its nectar, so dearly loved by Bacchus and yourselves – his worthy heirs. So, after reaching Caldaro/Kaltern and enjoying a dip in its clear lake, it’s time to embark on a journey of taste, along the Strada del vino/Weinstraße (Wine Route). This path reminds us that the vine has ancient origins in this territory, and indeed, there is even a wine museum in Caldaro/Kaltern. There is even a living monument to the vine here: near the town of Magré/Margreid stands a twisted vine planted, believe it or not, in 1601. It is a delight to discover, as you pass from town to town, the characteristic wine farms, where there’s always a glass of wine to welcome you. If you visit the area in autumn, after a substantial feast of Knödel and grilled pork, don’t pass up the chance to enjoy the excellent local Süsser (grape must) served with roast chestnuts.

 Before reaching Trentino, with a light breeze behind you easing the way, you must take at least a short break in Egna/Neumarkt, a beautiful little town with typical South Tyrolean architecture. Another probable Roman statio along the Via Claudia Augusta, Egna/Neumarkt shows visitors its millennial history in an educational exhibition at the Town Hall. Once in the picturesque town centre, don’t forget to visit the parish church of San Nicolò/Hl. Nikolaus. This is a gothic church, but with works of art from all eras, including at least one curious crib scene from 1630. For a final immersion into the traditions of this unique region, visit the Museo di Cultura Popolare/Museum für Alltagskultur (Museum of Popular Culture), where it is as if a time machine had been used to recreate a South Tyrolean domestic scene from the past.