Bolzano - merano trautmansdorff gardens - vipiteno
The Italian Tyrol
From Austria, this zone reached by crossing the Brenner Pass and thus into Italy.
That’s done through countless tunnels and high viaducts on the expressway and is very busy with lorries.
You’d be forgiven for missing Vipiteno 15mins or so after the pass, its below the expressway in a lovely valley that leads soth to Bolzano or east over to the Dolomites.
Vipiteno is worth stopping at. A delightful little old town centre awaits you with narrow streets, large square, lovely arcades with fine shops.
Bolzano is bigger, richer, a capital of Italian Tyrol really. Although firmly across the border into Italy, in most of the towns and villages we visited, everyone spoke German, the cuisine and signs in German and some Italian. Thats kinda strange.
Merano is 30mins west of Bolzano and home to the famous Trautmansdorff gardens and old town by the meandering river. It is also the entrance to the Stelvio park and famous road leading back to Switzerland.
