Bolzano.
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Overview

Bolzano (Italian) or Bozen (German), (Ladin: Balsan, Bulsan) is the capital city of South Tyrol, the German-speaking region in the northern part of Italy. Bolzano is the largest city in the region. Its archaeology museum is famous worldwide as the home of the alpine iceman "Ötzi". It is also known as the Italian Capital of Christmas thanks to its characteristic Christmas market. Bolzano's population is around 100,000 (140,000 including the metropolitan area). 25% of inhabitants speak German as their mother tongue; the population of German-speakers is much higher in the non-urban parts of the province (up to more than 90% in some areas), making the city and province officially bilingual.

Together with Innsbruck, Bolzano is the capital of the Alps because the seat of the Alpine Convention is there. The world-famous Museum of Archaeology with the Iceman and the Messner Mountain Museum's main seat make Bolzano a world city of mountaineering history and culture.

Districts

The city is administratively composed of 5 districts (City Centre - Bozner Boden/Piani di Bolzano-Rentsch/Rencio, Oberau/Oltrisarco-Haslach/Aslago, Europa-Neustift/Novacella, Don Bosco, Gries-St.Quirein/San Quirino). Alternatively, for tourism it can be divided into 6 areas:

City Centre (Historical Centre-Altstadt-Dorf/Villa-Zwölfmalgreien/Dodiciville-Runkelstein Castle) Here there are the most important things to see, museums, theatres, restaurants, hotels and stores. The heart of the City Centre is Walther square. Rentsch-Rencio (Rentsch-Rencio/St. Magdalena-S. Maddalena/Bozner Boden-Piani di Bolzano) This is the most German part of the city with St. Magdalena on the hills with its vineyard and the nice Rentsch district centre. Behind the rail station is the Bozner Boden district. There are a lot of nice hotels, restaurants and guesthouses. Kohlern-Colle Bozen's/Bolzano's home mountain, is a small mountain resort.

Gries (Gries historical centre/Fagen-Fago/Guntschna-Guncina/Moritzing-San Maurizio/north-western Bozen's/Bolzano's countryside) Culture, art, nature and wine paradise in a small area. Gries was a "Kurort" (health resort) during the Habsburg's Empire. New City or West Bolzano (St.Quirein/Europa - Novacella-Neugries/Don Bosco with Kaiserau/Bivio countryside and Sigmundskron/Firmian Castle) The Italian Bolzano is here. A lot of restaurants. South Bolzano/Bozen (Oberau/Oltrisarco-Haslach/Aslago-Pfarrhof/Maso della Pieve-St Jakob/San Giacomo) Oberau is a nice districts built in 1900s with good restaurants. In Bolzano South area there is the airport and the fair.

Understand

History First inhabited by the Rhaetians, the area was settled by the Romans in 15 BC, by General Nero Claudius Drusus, who gave his name to the first settlement in the area (an army camp with a bridge by the river Eisack-Isarco). The village founded nearby was called Bauzanum. The region of South Tyrol was historically settled by ethnic Germans and Ladins.

Bolzano has been a trading point since its foundation owing to its location between the two major cities of Venice and Augsburg. In 1262 it was elevated to a Stadt (city). In 1363 Bolzano became part of the Habsburg monarchy as part of the county of Tyrol. Four times a year a market was held and traders came from the south and the north. The mercantile magistrate was therefore founded in 1635. Every market season two Italian and two German officers (appointed from the traders who operated there) held this office. The city was a cultural crossroads at that time.

In 1919, after World War I, Bolzano was annexed by Italy against the will of the native population who had chosen to join the new German Republic of Austria. Starting in 1926, after the rise of fascism, the region's ethnic Germans were subjected to a policy of forced italianization. The fascist dictatorship encouraged the moving of many ethnic Italians to the city from other parts of Italy (primarily from Northern Italy) in an attempt to italianize the whole region. After World War II Bolzano was again assigned to Italy but this time the German-speaking population demanded self-determination and afterwards accepted the autonomy statute, which is ensured internationally. After decades of tension, particularly in the 1950s and the 1980s, which included minor terrorist plots, Bolzano is now a multilingual European city open to the future, hosts students from all over the world and therefore hosts a lot of interesting cultural events. For this reason Bolzano sought to become European Capital of Culture in 2019.

Culture Bolzano is constantly among the top-ranked cities in Italy when it comes to quality of life. Many Italians say they would like to live in Bolzano. However it is recognized that the city is quite expensive compared to Italian standards.

Bolzano has many special features: it's an Italian city with Austrian flair. In the city centre you will mostly hear people speak German or Austro-Bavarian. Nowadays, however, Italian- and German-speaking people are living together in bilingual Bolzano. Generally "Bozner" or "Bolzanini" are friendly and helpful. Most German-speaking people can speak Italian but Italian-speaking people are unlikely to be able to speak German. Nevertheless many young people can also speak English and a few can speak French too. In South Tyrolean schools the learning of the second language (Italian for German-speakers and vice-versa) and of English is compulsory.

Local tourist guides often say that Bolzano has an incredible Mediterranean climate. That is not true. Bozen's/Bolzano's climate is continental, with very hot summers and very cold winters. In autumn and spring the Föhn often blows from the northern Alps. Whereas in Innsbruck it is a warm wind, in Bolzano there are moments when it's relatively warm and strong, and then the temperature may fall suddenly. The coldest month of the year is January (min -6.2°C/20.8°F, max 5.0°C/41.0°F, average 0.0°C/32.0°F), the warmest is July (min 15.1°C/59.2°F, max 29.4°C/84.9°F, average 22.0°C/71.6°F). The annual average is 11.6°C/52.9°F. The maximum and minima are -17°C and +40°C.

Orientation The city of Bolzano is in the Bolzano bowl at the confluence of three rivers (Talfer, Eisack, Adige) and extends about 6 km north to south and the same west to east and it's 3/4 surrounded by mountains. The historical centre is in the north-east in triangle formed by the Talfer in the west, the Eisack in the south-east and Mount Hörtenberg in the north-east. The modern areas (including the commercial and industrial area) are to the west and south. Most of the towns and villages of the metropolitan area are south of the city where the Bolzano bowl extends further. The River Adige flows through the westernmost suburbs.

Bozen Tourist Office. The Bozen's Tourism Board has an information office right in the Walther square on the right. You can get information about the city and the neighbouring areas and also take some free brochures and maps of the city (ask also for the free cityguide). The tourism board's web site provides a lot of useful information. On the web site is possible to download some brochures and the city map.

The web site of the Bolzano Surroundings Tourist Association has information about the city and Southern South Tyrol (the holiday region is promoted in English under the name 'South of Südtirol' on logos and 'South of South Tyrol' on written publications).

Those who stay three or more nights in a hotel in Bozen or Jenesien mountain village receive a free Guest Pass with a free guided tour of the city and some discounts in museums, castles and swimming pools.

Magazines, events calendars BM - Bolzano Bozen Magazine the Tourism Board publishes this trilingual (English, German, Italian) magazine with a lot of information about the city. You can find it in the tourism office, in the railway station and hotels. Free.

Inside - Events in South Tyrol bilingual (German, Italian) pocket calendar with all events in Bozen and in South Tyrol. The index is written in English. You can find it everywhere. Free. Also online available.

The South of Südtirol Magazine is published yearly by the tourist association of the Bolzano metropolitan area which useful including events also in the surrounding area. You can find it in tourism offices and in hotels for free.

Everyday local newspapers in German (Dolomiten, Neue Südtiroler Tageszeitung) or Italian (Alto Adige, Corriere dell'Alto Adige) publish all the events, theatrical performances, films at cinema and other useful (if you understand German or Italian) information.

Get in

Bolzano is on the crossroads between Northern and Southern Europe, just south of the Brenner Pass. It is well-connected, possessing a small international airport and forming a major hub of the railway system in Central Alps.

Airports within reasonable distance from Bolzano with scheduled flights include those in Innsbruck, Verona and Venice. Munich and Milan Malpensa are the nearest airports with intercontinental connections.

There are no direct transport links with the city apart from taxis. Buses 10A and 10B stop 1 km north of the terminal. A rapid-transit system is planned, which will connect the airport to the city centre.

All trains from Germany and Austria and other parts of Italy stop at . There are connections with several cities. Useful websites are that of Trenitalia (Italian Railway Company), Österreichische Bundesbahnen (Austrian Federal Railway Company) and Deutsche Bahn (German Railway Company). Once a week there is a train connection to Moscow Belorusskaya and Nice operated by the Russian Railways (with stops also in Minsk, Warsaw, Katowice, Vienna, Milan and other places en route). There is a left-luggage office run by a private company on the main platform.

By bus Bolzano is very well connected by bus with Central Europe. Bus connections are frequent from/to Germany, Poland, Czechia, Slovakia and Romania. Traveling by bus is cheaper than by train, especially from Eastern Central Europe. Almost every important city in Poland is connected with Bolzano through international bus connections - normally arrival is in Genoa. If you are coming from Romania your reference could be the Romanian CentroTrans travel agency which has also offices in the United Kingdom. Coaches from Romania stops in Bolzano but also in Brixen. On the Romanian website about bus stations , you can find arrivals and departures from Romania/to South Tyrol at the Bolzano bus station. Connections with the Czech Republic are operated by the Tourbus agency (web site also in English available) with buses from Prague or Brno and other places. Tourist connections are also available from Germany - this connections are operated by the German travel agency Südtirol Tours.

Bolzano is also the major regional bus hub and all the main regional bus routes terminate in the capital. For information about regional connections check on the regional bus company SAD web site (in Italian and German).

Highway A22 (Autostrada del Brennero/Brennerautobahn) from south and from north lead to Bolzano, however they get congested during the Christmas market and especially during the ski season. Highway has two exits in Bolzano, normally if you're coming from the north it's better to choose the Bolzano Nord/Bozen Nord (North) exit, while from South it's better the Bolzano Sud/Bozen Süd exit. Follow the direction on the signs in order to reach the city centre or your accommodation. If you're coming from Meran you the better way is taking the MeBo freeway - there are two exits in Bolzano (Eppan/Appiano exit for West Bolzano and Gries, and Bozen Süd/Bolzano final exit for Bolzano South and the city centre). For day trips to Bolzano it's probably better to leave your car in the Parking "Centro BZ Mitte". Normally every hotel has its own parking.

Get around

The city centre is not big and so it can be discovered on foot. The best way to discover every corner of the city is on foot but in order to reach other areas inside the city using the public system is a good idea - also because the public transport system is efficient and the means of transport run on time and are clean.

By bus, train and cableway Bolzano has an excellent public transport system, which includes buses, cableways and commuter rail. It accepts coins only if you are likely to buy a value card - and bus drivers will not change banknotes for money. Ticket can be bought also in a few tobacco and newspapers shops throughout the city.

South Tyrol is divided in a western, a central and an eastern area, but the Bolzano bus network is included in all of them. If you are also planning to visit the metropolitan area, the Mobilcard for the Central area is the best option. There is a 50% young person's discount.

About timetable and bus maps of Bolzano's/Bozen's city transport service on the SASA web site (Italian and German) and of South Tyrol region on the SAD web site (in Italian and German).

By bus In Bolzano there are 17 bus lines (generally 06:00-21:00) and three of them have also a night service (bus lines 153 -journey of the day lines 1, 5 and 3-, 2 and 10A) from 21:00 until 01:00. Buses pass very frequently - you will not wait more than 10–15 minutes between two buses of a single line. Buses run always on time.

Stamp your ticket at the start of its first use (there are green - on new buses yellow - stamping machines on the buses or near the entrances to the stations). You have to stamp your ticket also if you are buying it at the ticket machine. You have to buy another ticket if you stop and you catch a bus after 45 minutes after the printing (only with single trip ticket or spent value card). Payment is by the honor system and inspectors check for valid tickets. All timetables and bus maps you can find free in the tourist offices or in the bus station.

All urban buses stops are request stops (except end of the line): If you want to get off press the red (in some buses blue) button, while if you want to get on a bus you have to wave your hand. Especially if you are alone at the bus stop or generally in South Bolzano (Fair Quarter) and in the night you should signal well in advance.

Bolzano also has two small urban rail stations (Bolzano South-Fair Quarter and Sigmundskron-Ponte Adige). Also here you can use the "Value Card".

You have to stamp your ticket in the rail station's entrance at the green stamping machines.

Bolzano is also connected with three mountain villages around the city by three cableways. On the Ritten there is also a trolley car which brings from Oberbozen at the cableway station to Klobenstein which is the main place on the plateau.

If you want to go to Kohlern-Colle you have to buy an extra ticket - trips every 30 minutes from 07:00 until 19:00 in winter and 07:30 in summer during the week (08:00-19:00 in winter and 08:00-19:30 in summer with a break 12:00-13:30 in winter and 12:00-13:00 in summer).

By taxi In Bolzano taxis are not so common, and sometimes at night getting a taxi can be difficult because there is no bus service and everyone will use them. There are taxi ranks in front of the railway stations, on Walther Square, Gries Square and other major squares and places. Taxis are only on call available. Bozen's taxi service is powered by Radio Taxi Funk 24-hr .

By bike In Italy the city has one of the most developed network of cycle paths with about 30 km composed of 8 main routes. Guided tours are available. Maps are available in tourist offices and online.

In the fahrradfreundliches Bozen/Bolzano città della bicicletta (bike friendly Bozen, the bike's city) there are specific road signs that help the city biker. A lot of big table maps are placed in many parts of the city. On the bike trail #1 after crossed the Talfer river direction city centre is placed an electronic table which obtains the number of passed bikes. On the city website there is a map which can be helpful for reaching specific places.

By car Driving inside the city makes no sense - the public transport system is more than enough for traveling inside Bolzano. In the rush hours traffic is intense. However the main streets for car circulation are ring road along the Eisack river in the South, the Drusus road from West to the centre, the Italy avenue, the Freedom avenue, and the Rome street in the new city.

Driving in the historic centre is forbidden and the city centre is forbidden for the EURO 0 cars. In winter (from November to March) the whole city is forbidden for the EURO 0 cars in order to prevent air pollution. In cases of high concentration of polluted substances the streets are forbidden also for EURO 1 cars. On the website of the City of Bolzano there is a map of the areas concerned and other infos (only in German and Italian).

Parking There are a lot of pay car parks in the city and car parks for people with disabilities have special signs. However in Bolzano parking on white-striped streets is only for residents in that area with a special permit. Non-residents may park their cars there free only from 13:00 on Saturday until 08:00 on Monday.

Other possibilities In Bolzano car sharing is also a possibility for long stays in the city. There is a web site (Italian only). For car pooling check the web site with the offers (German and Italian).

Rent-a-car Car rentals like by Hertz, Europcar, Sixt or Maggiore which are all at the Airport (Maggiore has a branch also in the Garibaldi street, 32), and Buchbinder in the Schlachthofstraße, 29. Other local rentals also throughout the city.

See

South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology. The most famous and visited museum in South Tyrol. It's home of the Iceman Ötzi.

Museion - Museum for Modern and Contemporary Art. New building by Studio KSV Krüger Schuberth Vandreike from Berlin.

Messner Mountain Museum Firmian. The main seat of the MMMs realized by the famous South Tyrolean mountaineer Reinhold Messner.

South Tyrol Museum of Natural Science. It explains the geological origins of the region and organizes a lot of interesting temporary exhibitions.

Municipal Museum. The oldest museum in South Tyrol.

City Gallery. important temporary art exhibitions.

Cathedral Gothic-Romanesque building dedicated to Our Lady of the Assumption built between the 13th and the 16th century with a lot of important frescoes and sacred arts. It's supposed that the church was built over a Roman basilica. It was partly damaged during World War II, and was renovated after the war. Dominican's church The first Gothic building in South Tyrol contains frescoes of the Giotto School. St Augustine Church The church located in Gries is one of the most important examples of baroque in South Tyrol. Before the secularization it was a church of the Augustinian order - now it belongs to the Order of Saint Benedict from Muri in Aargau, Switzerland. Valuable paintings of local painter from Wipptal Martin Knoller. It forms a single complex with the annexed older Abbey of Muri-Gries.

Runkelstein Castle. One of the most important castles for non-sacred art in Europe with a scene of Tristan and Isolde. The castle was built in the 13th century and it has interesting temporary exhibitions.

Maretsch Castle. A castle on the valley near the city centre surrounded by beautiful vineyards. Now it's a conference centre. Visits on Tuesday.

Mercantile Palace. Built between 1708 and 1716 by the architect Francesco Pedrotti from Verona, it's an important piece of Baroque architecture. It holds the Mercantile Museum.

Walter Square / Monument of Walther von der Vogelweide. Walther Square is called the gute Stube or salotto buono (good parlour) is the most famous square of the city. The square is surrounded by buildings in Austrian style. At centre of the square is situated the statue of Walther von der Vogelweide. The square was built in 1808 during Bavaro-Napoleon's domination. The square changed name five times: Maximilan square dedicated to the King of Bavaria (1808-1815), Johannes square dedicated to the Kaiser's brother Archduke Johann (1815-1901), finally Walther square (1901-1925). During the Fascist period the name was changed and the square took the name of Victor Emmanuel III of Italy. In 1946 the name changed for the last time (Our Lady square) before becoming Walther square in 1947. Walther came back to the Walther square only in 1984. In 1985 the first McDonald's in Italy opened on Walther square, in the place of the current Stadtcafé (a more modern McDonald's is now located in South Bolzano/Bozen).

Victory Monument and Square. A controversial monument on the other bank of the Talfer river and was built by the Fascist Italy in 1928 as a nationalist symbol and for celebrate the Italian victory during World War I. On the front, written in Latin, is a sentence which affirms the Italic superiority over the Germanic people. During the 1960s and 1970s some South Tyrolean activists attempted to damage the monument but without effects. In 2002 the city administration wanted to reconcile the population of the two ethnic groups changing the name to Peace Square. The majority of the Italians didn't appreciate the gesture and opposed. The Italian right-wing parties (for the name dedicated to the Italian victory during World War I) wanted a referendum which was won by the old name. Now the tables display the name Victory Square (formerly Peace Square). Now the monument is under protection of the Italian state. There is a table on the way from the Talfer Bridge that explains how the City of Bozen feels about the monument. The Italian Ministry for Conservation of Ancient Monuments would not allow the city to post the tables on the grilles in front of the Monument.

Parks and promenades For more parks and promenades see district articles

Talferwiesen/Prati del Talvera are the green lung of the city and extends on both banks of the Talfer river. In summer it's full of people and also during the cold winter people like to go around the promenades. Ducal park is a nice park in the Gries area. Eisackufer/Lungoisarco Park is a big park on the right hand side of the Eisack river. Henry's promenade the Heinrichspromenade is known also as Guncina promenade and is the oldest promenade of Bozen in the former Kurort of Gries. There is a lot of flora.

Do

Bolzano Festival Bozen. Concerts of the Gustav Mahler and European Union Youth Orchestra in Concert Houses and in the squares of the city, the International "Ferruccio Busoni" Piano Competition and the shows of Antiqua (Renaissance and Baroque music). Every summer.

Transart. A regional event of contemporary music and arts.

Bolzano Danza - Tanzsommer Bozen. A dance/ballet event in summer.

Südtirol Jazz Festival. An important summer jazz festival.

Wintermezzo. A Richard Strauss festival held in January.

Upload - Music Contest + Festival. A song contest with participants under 26 held in May/June.

New City Theatre. It is the biggest theatre of the region in importance and activity. It shows a lot of plays, opera, ballets and musicals. Plays in German and Italian.

Konzerthaus Bozen. The concert hall holds classical music concerts. In summer it has a big activity with the EUYO, Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra and the International.

Kulturhaus Walther von der Vogelweide. It is the biggest German-speaking theatre of South Tyrol. It shows a lot of plays in German

Cristallo Theatre. It is a new theatre with plays and festivals in Italian language

Municipal Theatre of Gries. It shows plays in German and Italian.

Carambolage. It is a very small theatre (99 places) but it's important for the large number of plays and cabaret in German, Italian and other languages.

Theater im Hof. Theatre with just 70 places in a courtyard behind the fruit market and well, the German name means Theatre in the Court. It shows plays mainly in German and in Italian.

Fairs Bolzano has a long fair tradition and it host an important and modern fair quarter, which is in South Bolzano.

During the year there are 18 fairs and a lot of meetings, having a congress centre and a four-star Sheraton Hotel.

Here the most important trade fairs are listed:

March Arredo (specialized trade fair for interior design)

April Prowinter (specialized in winter sports) Alpitec (specialized in mountain and winter technologies)

April/May Tempo Libero/Freizeit (specialized in sports, hobbies and leisure)

May kunStart (specialized in modern and contemporary art)

September Herbstmesse/Fiera d'Autunno (Autumn Trade Fair, since 1947)

Concerts The Showtime Agency is the most important events organizer in the region - every year Bolzano host a big number of concerts with groups or singers from Italy, Austria or Germany and internationally known artists. For tickets information please contact the agency.

If you want to go to underground concert (Alternative-Punk-Indie-Metal), Poison For Souls is the right choice for you!

Cinema In Bolzano there are 3 movie theatres with a total of 11 screens:

Cineplexx Bolzano Bozen. Multiplex (7 screens, 1,500 capacity) with movies in German and Italian.

Filmclub (Capitol). Small multiplex (3 screens, 417 capacity) movies in German and Italian. A lot of essay movies or in original language with subtitles (generally German, Italian or English). Movies for kids.

Contact the Bolzano Tourist Board for information about city guided tours, excursions on the mountains or in the surrounding area or for bike tours.

Passepartour. Organizes tours in order to discover Bolzano and surroundings by bike.

Sport Skiing. South Tyrol is full of ski resorts. The more 'Bolzanian' ski resorts are the Rittnerhorn (20 km from Bozen) and Reinswald (30 km). Both web sites are in English available. Other nearby ski resorts are Carezza (25 km), Meran 2000 (30–35 km) or the very well known Val Gargena(40 km) which is part of the Sella Ronda ski circuit. Ice hockey. Home sport of Bolzano is ice hockey. HC Bolzano/Bozen Interspar Foxies is the local professional hockey club in Bozen and winner of the Italian hockey season 2007/2008 (it plays in the Italian premier league and it won 17 times the national championship - Italian record). They play at the Eiswelle/Palaonda ice palace. Football: FC Südtirol / Alto Adige play soccer in Serie B, the second tier. Their home ground Stadio Druso (capacity 5500) is on the riverbank. Ice rinks. In Bozen there are four ice rinks: one near to the Runkelstein castle, one in the Genua street (Via Genova/Genuastraße in the Don Bosco district/New City), one in the Sport City in the area of Pfarrhof/Maso della Pieve in the Oberau-Haslach/Oltrisarco-Aslago district/South Bolzano/Bozen and one on the Talvera promenade. Swimming. In summer the Lido in the Trieste street is the favourite place of the people: open-air swimming pools and a big park with bar and restaurant. In winter there is the swimming & fitness centre Karl Dibiasi just behind the Lido.

Learn

Bolzano is the ideal place if you want to study German and Italian, or German or Italian after having studied one of the two.

Free University of Bozen-Bolzano International trilingual (Italian, German, English) university. It's ranked as one of the best no statal universities in Italy. It is a private university but it's financed by the Autonomous Province. Claudio Monteverdi Provincial Academy of Music Like the university it is ranked as one of the best academies of music in Italy (in Italy academies of music are considered at university level). It is controlled by the Autonomous Province instead of the State and it is expecting a big development because of that. European Academy ZeLIG School for Documentary, Television and New Media Claudiana Province College for Health-Care Professions

Work

Bozen is a congress, financial and business centre. School of languages and institutions could look for English teachers/speakers and new minds are requested in some technical sectors. If both German and Italian are known everybody can find a job in a restaurant, shop or hotel if it had some job experiences. Convention Bureau South Tyrol Techno Innovation South Tyrol Bolzano Trade Fair Autonomous Province of South Tyrol - Office for Bilingualism and Foreign Languages. It has also a library with books, dictionaries and language courses on book, CD, DVD and a lot of films in German, Italian, English, French, Spanish, Russian, Arab and Portuguese in the Capucin's street (28, Kapuzinergasse/via Cappuccini) Job finder powered by the Autonomous Province of South Tyrol - Job service

Buy

For single shops see district articles

Every district has its own shopping area but the shopping paradise is the historical centre. Bolzano is the city in which the small ceramics sculptures Thun are made. You can find Tyrolean and Italian fashion in the same place and local delicatessen have to be chosen.

Arcades (Lauben): One of the most famous shopping streets in Italy with both traditional and international chains. Greif Center: A modern and luxurious gallery near Walther square. Dr Streiter Lane: It's the opposite and parallel street of the Arcades (Lauben) with traditional chains. Arcades of Freedom's avenue: The Corso is composed by the 'Italian' arcades.

Saturday market Every Saturday in the Victory square and border streets.

Fruit market. It is one of the oldest squares of Bozen and now like in the past holds the fruit market.

The 'Christkindlmarkt' takes place every year from the last Friday of November to 23 December in the Walther square with 80 stands. A second Christmas market called 'Winterwald' (Winter wood) takes place near Walther square in Palais Campofranco's yard with 14 stands. In the same period in the historical centre take place other markets too: the 'Handwerksmarkt' in the Municipal square and the Christmas market of solidarity in some streets of the historical centre. Occasionally there are smaller 'Christkindlmärkte' or Advent markets in other parts of the city.

Eat

For more places please see district articles.

You can find all kinds of restaurant - cuisine, typical, Italian, international, ethnic specialties - and fast foods - typical Würstlstandln (hot dog stands), döner kebab, sliced pizza, Chinese take-away, sushi, or McDonald's and Burger King.

In the following list are included some of the most known traditional or important restaurants in the city center.

South Tyrolean cuisine is typically Austrian (Tyrolean) with Mediterranean influences but also Italian and other international specialties have to be found. Typical South Tyrolean products include Speck (a kind of smoked ham), a lot of sorts of bread, strudel, apples and a lot of pastries. During Christmas typical cakes are Bozner Zelten and Christstollen.

Entries include specialties such as Herrengröstl (potatoes, beef, onions, speck), Kaiserschmarrn (omelette with raisin and sugar), Gulaschsuppe, Schlutzkrapfen (a kind of dumpling with spinach or other ingredients), Spätzle (a kind of spinach dumpling), Knödel (bread balls with speck or other ingredients), pork roast with sauerkrauts.

Torgglhaus (Casa al Torchio). Famous restaurant near the fruit market with Tyrolean and Italian specialties and pizza. Credit cards accepted.

Stadt Cafè Città. A small snack or a full meal.

Laurin Belle Époque (Parkhotel Laurin).

Drink

Bolzano is an important wine producer in South Tyrol - it's included in the South Tyrolean Wine Road. Typical drink in South Tyrol is beer too - the most famous brewing company is Forst which is produced near Meran. A pub in the historical centre produces its own beer. Very popular soft drinks are Spezi (pronounce: "sh-peh-tzi") which is a cola-lemonade mix and Spuma which is an aromatic soda. If you like coffee you can drink Italian espresso or cappuccino but also Viennese or German (American) coffee.

Beer & wine gardens, halls & cellars

Cantina Bolzano - Kellerei Bozen www.cantinabolzano.com, Piazza Gries, 2, . The classical wines of Bolzano: Lagrein, St.Magdalener, Pinot Bianco, Gewuerztraminer. Forsterbräu Central Goethestraße, 6 South Tyrolean Forst Brewing company runs a really nice restaurant with outdoor seating right in the Altstadt (Historical Centre). Good beer and food and the prices are reasonable. Try the Sixtus ale, goes right to your head. Paulaner Bräuhaus Bozen Silbergasse/Lauben-Portici (Arcades) (two entrances). Bavarian Paulaner Brewing company's first Bräuhaus in Italy. Good beer and food.

Temple Bar Genuine Irish Pub. Irish-owned pub with that traditional style of an Irish pub found throughout the small villages of Ireland. Large beer garden on the square ideal for people watching while sipping a pint of Guinness, Sky Sports, live music and karaoke.

Pogue Mahones. Very nice Irish pub in the historical centre and also oldest Irish pub in town (est. 1964). Local and foreign beers, paninis, and toasties, smoking area inside,

New Pub. One of the oldest pubs in the city. Under the arcades of the New City's central area.

Dublin Pub. Irish pub with restaurant in the Bolzano South area. Sky Sports & darts. Cheap.

Café Schubert. Silbergasse 18 pub & restaurant in the historical centre.

Blue Moon Silbergasse Very popular meeting point for aperitivo. It's also a dinner bar. Cafè Latino Via Marconi Nice bar-pub with special evenings near the historical city centre, crowded on weekends. Mid-range. Birreria Romagnola Piazza Matteotti in the New City. Local and foreign beers, very good pub food, Sky Sports, darts. Open daily 07:00-01:00. Cheap. Murphys Pub Via Milano Nice Irish pub in the New City. Cheap Assenzio Laubengasse 30 One of the few places in Italy in which you can drink (true) absinthe. Mid-range. Nadamas Obstplatz 43/44 Nice pub-bar-restaurant. Spkurfe.

Stadtcafé Waltherplatz 21 Viennese-style café with original Sachertorte. Bar Walther Waltherplatz 2 Modern-style café. Sunday closed. Aida Café Konditorei Pfarrplatz 3 Austrian-style 'Konditorei'. Seats also in Walther square. Monika Konditorei Goethestraße 13 Austrian-style 'Konditorei' with Italian style 'Gelati'. Gelateria Eccetera Weintraubengasse 23 Around 60 ice cream flavours. L'Oasi del Gelato Museumstraße Big ice-creams and 'granatine'.

Gelateria Avalon. Freiheitsstraße 44 in the New City. House-made waffle cones.

Pasticceria Stofner. Corso Italia 27. Excellent cakes and pies.

Discos Before the beginning of the 21st century, Bolzano was known as the 'Sleeping Beauty', but in the meantime it has been transformed in the regional capital for nightlife so much that also young people from neighbouring Trentino come to Bolzano on Friday and Saturday night and the Bolzano's nightlife is known as the 'movida bolzanina', which was reported also in Italian national magazines. Now on weekend nights the historical centre is full of young and less-young people and pubs are crowded.

Look also on South Tyrol's portal for fun and night-life .

HALLE28 Via del Macello. Local and international DJs, within walking distance from the city center.

Okey. Club within 10-minute walk from the historical city centre. Crowded on weekends.

Martini Club, Vicolo Erbe. Club in the City Center of Bolzano.

Mirò. Club in the heart of the city.

Life Club. Special guests, entertainment and dj music. The disco is in the South Bolzano area.

Alumix. Entertainment, sometimes live music, alternative. The disco is in the South Bolzano area.

Après Club. Special guests, entertainment, events.

Keope Disco Club Brennerstraße, 6, Steinmannwald/Pineta di Laives. Entertainment, DJ music and Cuban dance. In the outskirt of Bozen on the statal road. Baila Discopub Boznerstraße, 5a, Eppan/Appiano. Entertainment, special guests and dj music. The disco is in Eppan near Bozen. One of the most crowded places to go on weekends. Zentis Discopub Tannstraße, 12, Ritten/Renon. Discopub, live music, DJ music. The discopub is in Klobenstein/Ritten near Bozen.

Sleep

The city and its metropolitan area are well developed for tourism and you can find all kinds of accommodation: luxury, international, typical, big, small, cheap hotels, B&Bs, apartments, youth hostels, campings and you can spend your holidays also in a farm in the surrounding countryside. Tourist offices can help you in finding your ideal accommodation. During the Christmas market period accommodations are full in fast all the region - advanced reservation is required.

In the following list are included some accommodations in order to make an idea about hotels and others. Category is given in stars and the service corresponds in all cases to the category.

Youth Hostel Bolzano. The hostel is near the city centre and the Central Station.

Kolpinghaus Bozen. In the city centre.

Best Western Hotel Alpi. In the city centre

Hotel Post Gries. In the Gries district centre.

Stadthotel Città. In the heart of Bolzano.

Four Points by Sheraton. Business and tourist hotel in the fair quarter.

Hotel Greif. Small five-star hotel in the heart of the city. No restaurant - it's a so-called garni hotel.

Respect

Bolzano is officially a bilingual city - That means there is most likely a German and Italian name for everything! Some tourists could have problems understanding the city's unique character. Guests interested in the (recent) history of South Tyrol are appreciated, but try to stay neutral discussing this with locals and always avoid asking the German-speaking people to explain why German is official language in a region belonging to Italy, and definitely don't say things like 'But this is Italy!' Bolzano/Bozen is an international model of bilingualism and multicultural understanding, and major ethnic tensions are a thing of the past.