Road Trip: Bolzano, Northern Italy: Part 3

An elegant city, Bolzano is situated in the shadows of the Dolomite Mountains.  It's filled with a nice plaza, a market street dedicated to the freshest foods, plenty of boutique shops, and even a museum that houses a 5,300 year old glacier mummy.  

 

You could easily work in the heart of the city life, and spend your evenings in the peaceful surroundings of the mountains.   A bus picked us up right outside our agriturismo in San Genesio, and 20 minutes later we were down the mountain & in the center of Bolzano. 

 

 

Bolzano city center

 

 

 

plaza 

 

 

church near center

 

fresh vegetable, fruit, cheese, meat, & spice markets

 

A couple evenings, we bought food from the market and cooked in. 

 

 

We visited the museum of Otzi.  He is a glacier mummy who is 5,300 years old.  He was discovered 23 years ago in the Dolomite Mountains while some people were hiking in the snow.   The museum was amazing...very interactive!  It told us all about what he was wearing, what kind of weapons he carried, & even what he had for his last meal.  The scientists could even tell that he was shot in the arm with an arrow and had head injuries due to a fall.  They discovered that he was murdered while hiking through the hills.   He is still preserved in an ice room in the museum for all who want to see.  The picture above is what they think he might have looked like before he died.   It's amazing to think that he was around approximately 3,300 years before Christ.

 

Stunning beauty on the outskirts of Bolzano

 

Gorgeous! (that sky is real!)

 

The Dolomites

 

Endless beauty...

 

 

South Tyrol-  In this region of Italy, people speak both German & Italian.  Having just driven through Germany & Austria, it still felt like we were in the Bavarian region rather than in Italy.  In our opinion, Northern Italy is more similar to the cultures of Germany & Austria.  The architecture in the mountains appeared more Bavarian.  The family where we stayed said they know both  languages. They speak German as their primary language, yet identify themselves as Italian.  It was fascinating to learn about this region.  

 

Roncolo Castle

 

a medieval fortress

 

 

 

 

sampling wine of the region