Gateway to the Dolomites
The city of Bolzano can be found in northern Italy, it's situated in a valley around two rivers, but surrounded by the mountains that form the Dolomites.
Bolzano is in the region called Trentino-Alto Adige, up until the end of the First World War it had been part of the Austrian Empire and the area was known as the Sud Tyrol. German is widely spoken, and the locals are bilingual with German and Italian spoken. It was strange having people speak to me in German first, knowing that I was in Italy, once I replied in Italian, they switched to Italian.
I caught the train to Bolzano changing at Verona Porta Nuova station for the train north to Bolzano, it then continues to Merano and the intercity trains continue into Austria.
I stayed at the Park Hotel Laurin which was a 5 minute walk from the train station and around the corner from the main square so it was a great location.
My review of the hotel
Bolzano duomo
The city is quite compact and it's easy to walk around, with most of the old town streets pedestrian only. There are plenty of shops and cafes serving traditional German food as well as Italian.
After exploring the city, the next must do, is to go up into the mountains. There is a gondola that takes you up onto the Ritten Plateau to Soprabolzano (literally 'Above Bolzano) where there's a little heritage train that you can ride between some villages. There's also a multitude of hiking paths depending on whether you want to go up or down!
Something that I didn't know before I went was that Bolzano during the summer is one of the hottest cities in Italy! And I visited during a heatwave thinking that since it was in the mountains it would be cooler! The reason for the heat apparently is that the city is surrounded by mountains and that keeps the heat in rather than letting it dissipate.
Bolzano is a lovely city to visit, perhaps just avoid it when it's hot! And definitely go up the mountain as the scenery is wonderful.
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