Day 01
Discover Bolzano's Historic Center and Artistic Treasures
- The guided tour of Bolzano will help you discover the historic center of an ancient town first settled by the Romans and set in the Dolomites, rich in artistic beauty, views, nature, and many curiosities.
- It begins at the Dominican Church, with its beautiful cloister, which we will visit inside to admire the fresco cycles of Giotto's school and various works by Italian and German painters. A short distance away stands the religious symbol of Bolzano, the Cathedral dedicated to Santa Maria Assunta, which we will also visit inside.
- Dating back to the 15th century and built in late Gothic style, the church was constructed over three earlier churches from different eras. It amazes visitors with its characteristic green and gold roof, its 65-meter-high bell tower with 25 bells, and the beautiful frescoes created by the students of Giotto's school. Near the square that houses the Cathedral, we find the curious Wine Door, one of the most beautiful Gothic portals in the whole of Tyrol, where winemakers with a special permit could sell wine.
- From this large square, the town's living room, we head toward the commercial heart of the medieval historic center, crossing Via dei Portici, a charming little street with Gothic-style arcades hosting shops and taverns in a succession of pastel colors, frescoes, and stucco.
- The tour continues along the most characteristic streets, focusing on the Baroque-style Mercantile Palace and the Renaissance-era Palazzo del Vecchio Municipio, now home to the Historical Archive.
- Another very distinctive street is Via dei Bottai, where artisans made wine barrels since the Middle Ages and which today is known for the best winery in Bolzano. Strolling through the historic center, we also reach another picturesque alley with a medieval arch and the Zallinger Tower, a real attraction for visitors, with many open-air bars and the original stalls of the ancient fish market.
- We end the guided tour by admiring one of the most beautiful and colorful squares in Bolzano, Piazza delle Erbe, with its fruit and vegetable market and the Fountain of Neptune, an 18th-century marble and bronze fountain depicting the god of the sea with dolphins and shells.
