I had the chance to come for a flash visit of three days for work to Bolzano, the capital of Sudtirol. This is the northernmost province of Italy and home of the Dolomite mountains.
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Sudtirol is the northern part of the Trentino-Alto Adige region, bordering the Austrian’s Tirol, is Sudtirol (or Alto-Adige) whereas the southern part is Trentino. Sudtirol is more Germanic than Italian but still keeps its Italian roots.
What you notice at first glance is that everything is super manicured, all the buildings with its enamel-painted cupolas, the perfect flowers on the windows, and everywhere you look at is pretty. Signage is first in German and then in Italian, and the locals are fluent in pretty every language, it makes you feel a bit of a brute. My German is all forgotten, as I only had basic German in my primary school, that is many moons ago. Plus, I never practiced it again.
Between Italian and English, I could get along. If you only speak English, you’ll be fine, people tend to know English here.
Food is more Italian with a twist. You see bits that look more Austrian like Knödl and Wiener Schnitzel, but then you have great Italian food as well! The afternoon aperitivo is everywhere and it is a must!
I’ve stayed at the Park Hotel Laurin, a lovely 4 stars hotel just by the train station and a block away from the main Piazza Walzer. The hotel has the air of those lovely old hotels where you go to enjoy the place. It has a grand bar with a lovely terrace overviewing beautiful gardens, as well as lots of places where you can seat or lounge scattered around the garden, or by the pool, where you can also have your drink and light bites.
The Restaurant Laurin serves food on a massive, beautiful tent in the garden in a beautiful setting. They have also a Glasshouse called Anima that caters events. I can see the attraction for weddings there.
My room was on the fifth floor, super airy with views of the beautiful gardens, the cathedral and the surrounding mountains. I’ve really enjoyed time there; the bed was super comfy which allowed me to sleep well.
Breakfast was nice, I had it one day on the galleria outside, and the other two inside. It offered a great selection of savoury and sweet treats, and you can ask your eggs to the waiter, if you do not want to do soft boiled eggs yourself.
I came to Bolzano to give a one-day workshop to the people of IDM Sudtirol, as part of my consultancy work. I was explaining to them how to get into the UK leisure ski market. It was very interesting doing so and hearing their thought process.
After a full day talking, I just managed to walk through the old city of Bolzano and had the chance to bounce on an art shop… got some goodies there, and then went to sit down and see the world pass by at one of the cafés of Piazza Walzer, having an aperitivo while hearing the bells of the Cathedral. That night it was raining, so I’ve dined in at the Laurin Restaurant and went to sleep.
The second day after breakfast I went to walk a bit around town, and then I went up the St Osvaldo promenade. You go up the road and get to see lovely big mansions and the vineyards, and then you get on a pathway and have a gentle climb for about 20’. After that, it is all pretty flat, You get to walk under the grapevines, which give you the much needed shade (it was pretty hot when I did this walk), and you can see over the city from a privileged position. I think I did the easy walk up, as when I came down on the other side of the path to get back to the hotel, the way down was steep, and I could see tired people coming up! I’ve started on the left side of the walk, if you are looking at the mountain in front of you.
I came back to the room to have a quick clean as I was meeting someone of Dolomiti Superski, the lift company that amalgamates all the ski resorts west of the road to Brenner pass (of Sudtirol, Trentino and Belluno). It was interesting to hear of their news to work with tour operators, and I hope they do good. They are having lots of Americans coming now, as Dolomiti Superski is part of the IKON pass, and for Americans, it is cheaper to fly across the Atlantic and stay in Italy skiing, that going to their local resorts, which is incredible, really!
I went quickly to change and put on my bathing suit and went to have a well-deserved break by the pool while having a lovely herb salad with smoked salmon. I’ve never thought eating herbs would be so yummy, as the salad had lots of dill… but it was incredible, and just what I was needing, as I did not want to ruin my appetite for the night!
After having some time off and showering, I went out for dinner, this time to a place I’ve spotted the first day, it was the Cavallino Bianco. What a great spot! It was what we would call a ‘bodegón’ in Argentina, or a family trattoria, big, but separated in different rooms, making of it a very cozy restaurant. The food was great. Straightforward, great service and super good prices! I should have come here before, as Sudtirol is more on the pricey side, compared to the Aosta Valley! This place was affordable. I’ve eaten a seabass with grilled vegetables and boiled potatoes, an apple strudel and a big sparkling water for EUR 28, which is pretty good!
After a good night sleep and a late breakfast, I went to Bolzano’s airport, just 20’ away from downtown, to take my flight back to London. I flew on Skyalps, the local airline that flies Dash8 Q400 planes, which are planes for 60 to 70 passengers and are turboprop.
To be honest, I was a bit wary about flying a turboprop, for past experiences. But this was great! And flying into Bolzano and having no ground transfer time is incredible. You should think of this option if coming to ski in the Dolomites. As they fly lower than traditional jets, they are more sustainable.
Another option is now taking the European Sleeper, a train from Brussels that takes you to Bolzano (and also Innsbruck if you want stay skiing in the Tirol!).
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