Bozen, or Bolzano in its Italian nomenclature, is a curious place. I was mentally prepared for a small village and yet, it was much larger in reality. Despite the highways, one can still get caught up in terrible traffic jams.
The train ride from Verona was an uneventful and pleasant 100 minutes across acres of vineyards, olive groves, fruit orchards, and greenery, with limestone and granite Tyrolean Alps in the background.
The Italian South Tyrole was the only independent area for centuries under its own rule, with a strong sense of Austrian identity. This is characterised by the buildings and the food which lean more towards schnitzels and knudeln than pasta and pizza. That is, until Mussolini controversially gave the area away to the Germans during the First World War. The Brits then sliced off the territory and put it under Italian auspices, and the Italians wasted no time in italianising the people (still a very sore point for many Bozenites).
Many of the people look Germanic and prefer speaking in German to Italian – they identify as Germans or Austrians more than as Italian. This makes Bozen and the towns around it very unique. Most citizens are bi- if not trilingual, with English being the third language. This is represented in signage, menus and in general conversation. People swap between different languages as they talk, reminding me a little of multicultural South East Asian countries like Malaysia and Singapore which integrate different languages into a local patois.
Bozen is famous also for one of its inhabitants: Ötzi, a 5000 BC frozen mummy whose discovery changed scientists’ perceptions about human life during the Bronze Age forever. Ötzi is housed at the Museum of Archaelogy, Bozen. Entrance is €9 per adult and it made me appreciate how most museums are free in England. Still, it was a fascinating exhibit and I strongly urge people to go and see.
The abundance of produce means that everything is fresh. Bozen and its surrounds are famed for wine. We were introduced to a high end South Tyrolean wine called Lagrein. At the well-known Italian restaurant in Piazza Walther in the city centre, the owner even makes his own gin. Try it, it’s amazing.
Over the few days we had all types of Italian specialities, and each was perfectly cooked and spiced. On our last night, we were taken up to a 13th century castle on a hill, where we had dinner in abject style. Haselburg Castle is run by Andreas Amort and Gerhard Stecher, and boasts splendid views of Bozen and the Tyrolean landscape.
I opted for the monkfish which was lovely, but tiny. However, days of constant and big meals had left me (or rather, my palate) wanting a respite. Thus, I contented myself with some top-notch wine and bread.
There is a lot of charm in this Tyrolean outpost – certainly not what you’d expect in Italy. It’s the perfect place to come to learn Italian or German, or even English. This juxtaposition is unique and rather Swiss-like (except the Swiss speak French as well). It is definitely well-worth a trip when you tire of trampling through the cobbled streets of tourist draw cards like Rome and Florence.