Letters From Series

Letters From … South Tyrol, Italy

Welcome to South Tyrol!

Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, or what I refer to here as generally South Tyrol (we mostly stayed in Bolzano) is the region in North Italy where the Italian Alps form. Before this trip, I didn’t know there was an Italian side to the Alps (I’m too loyal to the Swiss Alps), but hey, the more you know!

This region was so odd in it’s quiet and secluded ways, but amazingly beautiful. I highly recommend if you want to see more to Italy such as the tiny mountain villages, crazy history, and the strange use of German in Italy.

If you are in Italy, wait no, Europe, take a train ride. The most beautiful views are on your way to your destination.

Casually living under a castle, this village is so lucky. Fun fact I learned: some castles, or maybe most by now, are still in use by the same family but generations later. Some you can buy like a normal house and some greater ones, are owned and used for public stuff like venues or restaurants or memorials.

This castle for example, the Buonconsiglio Castle, is now a historical museum you should visit. THIS WAS ALSO CONNECTED TO MY HOTEL, so ya girl pretended to be sleeping inside the walls of a castle.
View of the hotel balcony.

Sitting here for a coffee break, I learned about why Bolzano (about an hour, an hour and a half north from Trento) is a blend of German and Italian cultures.
So get this: because of all the historical wars and power shifting of this area, South Tyrol, has been ruled by different cultures from Italy to Austria. So due to this, Bolzano is where we saw the most impact, with street signs in BOTH Italian and German, restaurants and shops either be Italian or Germanic, and honestly talking to people was just as confusing, not knowing to show off my broken Italian or German.

Example of the street signs. After my trip in Germany, I could tell the difference between “strasse” and “via”. I know, I’m amazing.

Travel Pro tip: sometimes following strangers ain’t so bad. This one led us to the entrance of this beautiful cathedral built in 1180.

Walter Square
Give me a cable car any day.
Dolomiti views.

Once at the very top, we actually hiked, sadly we couldn’t cable car the whole way lolol.

Earth Pyramids of Ritten: phenomena formed by continuous erosion caused by landslides, which then form these pyramid structures. Honestly, I still don’t understand how it works and how its a natural cause, but thats damn impressive. I see you, nature. PS The greatest one of 9 around the world.

 
 

 

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  • These pictures are amazing! I’ve been there for three times and I love the nature! South Tyrol is fantastic, especially their food 🙂 Last time I lived in a hotel in Val Passiria, the mountains there are gorgeous!

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