Bolzano

Passes and discounts

Those who stay three or more nights in a hotel in Bozen or Jenesien mountain village receive a free Guest Pass with a free guided tour of the city and some discounts in museums, castles and swimming pools. FYI, no one in Bozen knows what this "3 day pass" is all about 3 day pass that includes all public transport and admission to museums and castles costs 28 Euro per person. It does pay for itself, but is NOT included in a 3 night stay.

If you want to visit all Bozen's museums and the Runkelstein Castle you can buy the MuseumCard € 2.50, with which you have discounts in all the entrances you can save up to € 16.50.

If you want to visit Bolzano and discover the surrounding area of Southern South Tyrol you can get the South of Südtirol Card for €1.50 and you will have discounts in visiting museums or in sport activities.

Magazines, events calendars

BM - Bolzano Bozen Magazine the Tourism Board publishes this trilingual English, German, Italian magazine with a lot of information about the city. You can find it in the tourism office, in the railway station and hotels. Free.

Inside - events in south tyrol (http://www.inside.bz.it) bilingual German, Italian pocket calendar with all events in Bozen and in South Tyrol. The index is written in English. You can find it everywhere. Free. Also online available.

The South of Südtirol Magazine is published yearly by the tourist association of the Bolzano metropolitan area which useful including events also in the surrounding area. You can find it in tourism offices and in hotels for free.

Everyday local newspapers in German Dolomiten, Neue Südtiroler Tageszeitung or Italian Alto Adige, Corriere dell'Alto Adige publish all the events, theatrical performances, films at cinema and other useful if you understand German or Italian information.

History

Initially inhabited by the Rhaetians, the area was settled by the Romans in 15 BC, by general Nero Claudius Drusus, who gave his name to the first settlement in the area an army camp with a bridge by the river Eisack-Isarco. The village founded nearby was called Bauzanum. The region of South Tyrol was historically settled by ethnic Germans and Ladins.

Bolzano has been a trading point since its foundation owing to its location between the two major cities of Venice and Augsburg. In 1262 it was elevated to a Stadt city. In 1363 Bolzano became part of the Habsburg monarchy as part of the county of Tyrol. Four times a year a market was held and traders came from the south and the north. The mercantile magistrate was therefore founded in 1635. Every market season two Italian and two German officers appointed from the traders who operated there held this office. The city was a cultural crossroads at that time.

In 1919, after World War I, Bolzano was annexed by Italy against the will of the native population who had opted to join the new German Republic of Austria. Starting in 1926, after the rise of fascism, the region's ethnic Germans were subjected to a policy of forced italianization. The fascist dictatorship encouraged the moving of many ethnic Italians to the city from other parts of Italy primarily from Northern Italy in an attempt to italianize the whole region. After World War II Bolzano was once again assigned to Italy but this time the German-speaking population demanded self-determination and afterwards accepted the autonomy statute, which is ensured internationally. After decades of tension, particularly in the 1950s and the 1980s, which included minor terrorist plots, Bolzano is now a multilingual European city open to the future, hosts students from all over the world and therefore hosts a lot of interesting cultural events. For this reason Bolzano is hoping to become European Capital of Culture in 2019.

Climate

Climate	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Daily highs °C	6	9	14	19	23	27	29	28	24	18	11	6
Nightly lows °C	-5	-2	1	5	9	13	15	15	11	6	0	-4
Precipitation mm	24	26	36	57	73	80	89	86	71	71	67	33

Local tourist guides often say that Bolzano has an incredible Mediterranean climate. That is not true. Bozen's/Bolzano's climate is continental, with very hot summers and very cold winters. In autumn and spring the Föhn often blows from the northern Alps. Whereas in Innsbruck it is a warm wind, in Bolzano there are moments when it's relatively warm and strong, and then the temperature may fall suddenly.The coldest month of the year is January min -6.2°C/20.8°F, max 5.0°C/41.0°F, average 0.0°C/32.0°F, the warmest is July min 15.1°C/59.2°F, max 29.4°C/84.9°F, average 22.0°C/71.6°F. The annual average is 11.6°C/52.9°F. The maximum and minima are -17 and +40.

Culture

Bolzano is constantly among the top-ranked cities in Italy when it comes to quality of life. It has one of Europe's lowest unemployment rates, excellent services and a wonderful landscape. Many Italians say they would like to live in Bolzano. However it is recognized that the city is a little expensive.

Bolzano has many special features: it's an Italian city with Austrian flair. In the city centre you will mostly hear people speak German or Austro-Bavarian. Nowadays, however, Italian- and German-speaking people are living together in bilingual Bolzano. Generally "Bozner" or "Bolzanini" are friendly and helpful. Most German-speaking people can speak Italian but Italian-speaking people are unlikely to be able to speak German. Nevertheless many young people can also speak English and a few can speak French too. In South Tyrolean schools the learning of the second language Italian for German-speakers and vice-versa and of English is compulsory.

Tourist information

Bozen Tourist Office Waltherplatz 8 +39 0471 307000, [email protected] - The Bozen's Tourism Board has an information office right in the Walther square on the right. You can get information about the city and the neighbouring areas and also take some free brochures and maps of the city ask also for the free cityguide. The tourism board's web site has been recently renewed and now it's a well-designed web site which provides a lot of useful information. On the web site is possible to download some brochures and the city map.

If you are looking for the whole metropolitan area consider to check the web site of the Bolzano Surroundings Tourist Association (http://www.bolzanosurroun...) with information about the city and Southern South Tyrol the holiday region promotes in English under the name 'South of Südtirol' on logos and 'South of South Tyrol' on written publications.