Visiting the Historic City Center

The attractions of the city of Bolzano begin in its historic city center. During a stay in this city, it is recommended that you pay a visit to the various churches that characterize the town. The Dominican church dates back to the end of 1200. A mix of Gothic and Baroque elements are combined with the frescoes preserved inside. And when you enter the church, you have to visit the chapel of St. John with a set of frescoes of great value by Giotto that are worth seeing. The church of Gries was an ancient monastery where Augustinian monks lived.

The cathedral dedicated to Maria Assunta, located in the centre of the city, is the city’ s cathedral, and it preserves elements of great artistic and architectural importance. The churches are not the only structures that enrich the cultural and artistic heritage of the territory, the ancient palaces that are now museums or exhibition venues are also enriching.

And what about the monuments? The Walther von der Vogelweide is remarkable and worthy of note and dates back to as far as the end of the 1800s.

Discovering the castles

The surrounding castles are also full of culture and host museums and exhibitions of various kinds, such as the Messner Mountain Museum Firmian, which is located in Formigra, the original name of the fortified structure.

The Roncolo castle was built in 1237 and is often used for cultural events of great interest. Despite frequent renovations, the castle still has intact the ancient frescoes that enrich its rooms.

Castel Flavon, on the other hand has been converted into a restaurant which now hosts highly important receptions. This structure also contains very illustrious frescoes from distant eras. The story is also tinged with dark tones when it comes to the Nazi concentration camp in the area. Historical events of great impact allow us to evoke tragic stories Bolzano’s past, that brings to mind the broken life of deportees.

An eventful city

During the year, events of all sorts are organized in Bolzano, respecting the traditions and peculiarities of the region. A classic spring example is the Flower Festival: an opportunity to enjoy the scents of flowers, awakening nature and green trees.

The flower festival takes place for three whole days in which Walther Square becomes a real botanical garden, where you can admire all sorts of flower species.

This same square also becomes the venue for another important event aimed at families, the family festival, which is held in February and has as its sole purpose to entertain children and adults.

Puppet shows entertain the young guests with fun scenes and engage them in activities.

If you are a music lover, you will have to wait until the summer to listen to good jazz music at the Südtirol Jazzfestival Alto Adige, which takes place in July.

Musicians from all over the world cheer up their guests with jazz music and hold concerts in the city’s squares and clubs.

A glimpse of Bolzano from the sky

Bolzano is a city full of events and attractions that are not only on the mainland! If you look out into the sky, you can take advantage of a panorama with unique contours that will captivate you from the very first moment.

But how can you take advantage of this almost heavenly vision? Simple: There are three cable cars in Bolzano that allow you to take a trip through the clouds and admire the city from above.

The hill’s cable car is the oldest, dating to as far back as the early twentieth century. The Renon cable car is certainly the most modern, and will take you on an itinerary in which you can also admire the Dolomites and the earth pyramids.

The cable car of San Genesio is wonderful at sunset because it offers a spectacle that must not be missed, which must necessarily be immortalized and kept forever in memory.