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I Love Touring Italy - The Alto-Adige Subregion

If you are looking for a European tourist destination,
consider the Trentino-Alto Adige region of northern Italy
on the border of both Switzerland and Austria. Among its
tourist attractions are the Dolomite Mountains, that the
famous architect Le Corbusier called "The most beautiful
work of architecture even seen," glacier lakes, and Alpine
forests. In fact the region is composed of two parts,
Trentino in the south and Alto Adige in the north. This
article presents Alto Adige; a companion article presents
Trentino.

When you live in Alto Adige you have to declare your first
language: choices include Italian (26.5%), German (69%),
and Ladin (4%). There is a German-speaking majority in
fully 103 of 116 communes, and only 5 have an
Italian-speaking majority. We won't go into the sometimes
painful history of German-Italian relations in Alto Adige
except to say that the relations are now fairly good. As a
tourist you'll be able to enjoy the two cultures.

We'll start our tour of Alto Adige at Caldaro near the
border with Trentino. Then we will proceed basically
clockwise visiting Naturno and Bolzano (the regional
capital and largest city), and then pass the following
towns and ski resorts which we won't have time to visit on
this tour: Chiusa, Bressanone, Brunico, and Dobbiaco. We
resume visiting at Cortina d'Ampezzo, and proceed west to
Canazei and to Lago di Carezza only about 22 kilometers (14
miles) from our starting point. We'll do something here
that we haven't done previously. In addition to the place
name in Italian, we'll supply the German name in
parentheses. Don't forget, Alto Adige, known as Sued Tyrol
in German, is still heavily German speaking and retains a
distinctive Germanic, or more exactly Austrian, character.

Caldaro (Kaltern) is a village of about 7500 residents that
annually attracts over 400,000 tourists. So you know the
basis of its economy. Its architecture is a pleasing
combination of Italian Renaissance and German Gothic
elements as exemplified in the historic Church of Santa
Caterina in the town center. The Caldero Lake claims to be
the warmest in the Alps and so is enjoyable from May to
September. Be sure to visit the Museo Provinciale del Vino
(Provincial Wine Museum) located in a princely manor.
Caldaro is in South Tyrol's best wine region and you can
walk from the museum to vineyards growing rare and ancient
grape varieties.

The horticultural center of Naturno (Naturns), population
about five thousand, is near the westernmost point of our
tour. Be sure to see the Seventh Century Church of San
Procolo, especially its ancient frescoes which are among
the oldest in the German-speaking world. Then drive a bit
west to the Thirteenth Century Castel Juval now owned by
Reinhold Messner, who holds two Mount Everest firsts. He
climbed it solo and he climbed it without additional
oxygen. The castle now serves as an inn, a winery, and a
museum devoted to mountaineering and Tibetan art.

Bolzano (Bozen) is the capital of the autonomous province
of Alto Adige. Its population is about 100,000, many of
whom are German speaking. However, Bolzano does have a
heavy majority of Italian speakers. This is one city where
you will definitely be able to hear two languages and enjoy
two cultures.

Perhaps you will start with the Museo Archeologico
dell'Alto Adige (South Tyrol Archeological Museum) whose
star attraction is Oetzi, the more than five thousand year
old iceman discovered in Italy near the Austrian border in
1991. The museum offers many other exhibits, both predating
and postdating the world's oldest naturally preserved body.

The Duomo (Cathedral) was built from the Twelfth to
Fourteenth Centuries in a Gothic style. Of particular
interest are its frescoes and stone pulpit. The Porta del
Vino (Wine Gate) on the outside of the building shows
peasants at work in the vineyards. Remember, this is wine
country. The Fourteenth Century Chiesa dei Domenicani
(Dominican Monastery) was badly damaged over the centuries
including during World War II. Some of its paintings and
frescoes are in bad shape, however others are magnificent.

Other churches to see include the Thirteenth Century Chiesa
dei Domenicani (Dominican Church), which hosts Bolzano's
best collection of paintings and frescoes, its chapel
Cappella di San Giovanni, and the Twelfth Century Vecchia
Parrochiale (Old Parish Church) with a Romanesque crucifix
predating the church itself and a Fifteenth Century Gothic
wooden altar.

The vine covered Thirteenth Century Castel Mareccio
(Mareccio Castle) is now a congress center with a courtyard
that can accommodate up to two hundred people. There is
even a transparent roof to ensure year round availability.
The castle's frescoes can be seen only on Tuesdays in a
free guided tour, either in Italian or in German.

Make sure to see Bolzano's two main squares. A statue of
Neptune, god of the sea, overlooks the produce market in
the Piazza delle Erbe. Go there before lunch and make
yourself a picnic. The Piazza Walther with its Monument to
Walther honors a local hero, the wandering minstrel Walther
von der Vogelweide, a sort of Twelfth Century Bob Dylan.

Do you like walking? If you do, there are numerous
beautiful promenades including the 8 kilometer (5 mile)
Passeggiata del Guncina with its view of the city, the
Passeggiata di Sant'Osvaldo (Oswald Promenade) skirting
vineyards on the edge of the city, and Passeggiate del
Lungotalvera (Lungotalvera Promenade) along the river in
the middle of town.

Cortina d'Ampezzo is a fairly exclusive, mostly Italian
speaking, winter resort. Cortina was supposed to host the
1944 Winter Olympics but because of World War II had to
wait until 1956. Known as "The Pearl of the Dolomites," it
sits in a meadow about 4000 feet (1.2 kilometers) above sea
level, surrounded by mountains. Its great location has made
Cortina the site of many popular films including The Pink
Panther and For Your Eyes Only. Younger Italians seem to
prefer Madonna di Campiglio, described in our companion
article on Trentino.

Canazei is popular, mostly German speaking, winter resort
in the Val di Fassa. Attractions include a lovely little
village and slopes satisfying skiers with a wide range of
abilities. Be sure to take the cable car up to Col Rodella
for a truly magnificent view of the mountains.

We finish our tour of this beautiful region at the
mile-high glacier lake, Lago di Carezza. In this lake you
can see reflections of the surrounding forests and
mountains. We're almost back to our starting point of
Caraldo. Don't you feel like doing this circular tour
again? There is so much that we have seen, but there is so
much that we haven't seen yet.

What about food? In Alto Adige the cuisine tends to be
Austro-Tyrolean. Some of the most popular foods include
wursts, cabbage dishes, dumplings, and potatoes. Pork is
big, especially Speck, Austrian smoked ham. One local
specialty that I have no intention of trying is salami made
from donkey. I'll stick with the sauerkraut.

Let's suggest a sample menu, one of many. Start with
Sauersuppe (Tyrolean Tripe Soup). Then try Zuppa al Vino
Bianco (Stew with White Wine). For dessert indulge yourself
with Kastanientorte (Pureed Chestnut Cake). Be sure to
increase your dining pleasure by including local wines with
your meal.

We conclude with a quick look at Trentino-Alto Adige wine.
Trentino-Alto Adige ranks 16th among the 20 Italian regions
for acreage devoted to wine grapes and 14th for total
annual wine production. The region produces about 55% red
and 45% white wine. There are eight DOC wines of which
three are found in Alto Adige (one DOC wine is shared with
Trentino and another with Trentino and with Veneto.) DOC
stands for Denominazione di Origine Controllata, which may
be translated as Denomination of Controlled Origin,
presumably a high-quality wine. A whopping 79.1% of
Trentino-Alto Adige wine carries the DOC designation, by
far the highest percentage in Italy. The Alto Adige DOC
designation is divided into several subzones. The most
recent Trento-Alto Adige wine that I tasted was a Vino
Novello (New Wine) that probably wasn't typical of
Trento-Alto Adige wine but was typical of Vino Novello
wine. The less said the better. However, there are several
fine Alto Adige wines. The San Leonardo, a blend of
Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, is said to be quite good but
is pricey. You may do well with a less expensive bottle
based on the local red Lagrein grape, if you can find one.

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Levi Reiss has authored or co-authored ten books on
computers and the Internet, but he prefers drinking fine
Italian or other wine, accompanied by the right foods and
people. He knows about dieting but now eats and drinks what
he wants, in moderation. He teaches classes in computers at
an Ontario French-language community college. His new wine,
diet, health, and nutrition website
http://www.wineinyourdiet.com∞ links to his other sites.