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Recently, my wife’s dear friend Margret invited us to visit her in South Tyrol in northern Italy. South Tyrol was part of Austria until it became part of Italy after the First World War. With roots in Austria and Tyrol, German is widely spoken there, and the community’s culture reflects its origins.
South Tyrol is a mountainous region with three interconnected valleys, through which the Adige River flows. The Dolomites are its most famous mountains.
It is also the country of apples and wine. Apples grow on the prairies, while grapes grow on the hillsides. High mountain dairy farm meadows and pastures.
We took a train from Innsbruck, Austria to Merano, Italy. The train crosses the Brenner Pass, hugs the sides of the mountains, and displays amazing engineering marvels of bridges spanning mountain meadows, valleys, quaint villages, and deep gorges.
We could smell the scent of jasmine all around Merano…we noticed it first at the station and then in parts of the town. This plant grows a lot here.
There is a Mediterranean atmosphere about Merano. Don’t be surprised to see palm trees flourishing along the famous river as you walk through the spas. The spa of Merano became famous after the visit of the then Queen Sissi of Austria.
The old part of town with its narrow cobbled streets is full of cafes, restaurants and shops. Medieval churches and restored buildings are worth a visit.
Trautmannsdorf Castle Park is a huge park of art, culture and nature, once considered the most beautiful park in Italy.
The author’s wife, Margret, stood outside the giant house that was the courthouse.
Margret’s home is a 400-year-old courthouse in Naturnes, 15 km from Merano, in the middle of an apple orchard. His closest “neighbor” is an apartment building that used to be a prison!
Our host has a beautiful garden with four cherry trees that were full of fruit when we arrived. My wife was very happy when she saw the cherries.
South Tyrol is a great tourist destination in the summer for those who enjoy hiking and cycling. You can cycle through the three valleys, stroll through the village or stroll through the apple orchards.
In winter, skiing is as interesting here as any other winter sport.
There are plenty of castles and temple ruins to check out. Some have been restored and preserved, while others remain in ruins.
After a few days, the mountains called us. We went to the Messner Mountain Museum Juval (MMM Juval) at an altitude of 900 m. It is one of six mountain museums built by former extreme climber Reinhold Messner. The museum has a variety of mountain-themed exhibits around South Tyrol.
We hiked for two hours through vineyards and semi-arid rocky terrain to reach MMM Juval. For non-hikers, it is possible to take a narrow winding road or take a bus.
My wife pulled a semi-dry plant out of the rocky ground with bright, beautiful flowers that she took countless photos of. There were also many local skins sunbathing on the rocks.
We looked up at the heartbreaking results of climate change that Margret had told us about earlier. Some apple orchards are covered with fine plastic netting, creating patches of green tops and plastic wrap. The netting was placed to protect the trees from frequent, heavy hail.
Valley apple orchards are covered with wire mesh.
Margret said insurance companies are refusing to insure orchards these days, forcing farmers to put up nets to protect their fruit.
At MMM Juval, we visited the “Mountain Legends” exhibition, a huge collection of religious masks and artifacts from the mountains. There are also displays of mountaineering equipment used by Messner on his legendary climb.
The paths led to the green meadows of the high mountains. As the weather warms in South Tyrol, you can find sprinklers in the meadows to keep the plants from drying out, which is unusual in the mountains.
The next day we did a loop on the local cable car, basically going up to a station at 1300m and then back. The day started out hot and sunny, but as we crossed the alpine forest and rocky terrain into the meadows, it rained.
The change is so sudden that it’s like stepping through a portal into another world!
After the cable car station, we took photos at a popular spot with a platform covered with metal mesh overlooking the valley. The meadow was full of grass and spring flowers and it looked really beautiful.
All in all, we spent about seven hours walking and it was a pretty tiring day of hiking. When we got back to Margret’s house, she prepared a simple pasta dish for dinner with her home-grown tomatoes, which was delicious.
Unfortunately it was a short visit, but we really enjoyed our time in South Tyrol and Margrett promised that we would be back soon to see the mountains and cherries.
Opinions expressed are entirely those of the reader.
