Bolzano, Italy

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The Isarco, thus reinforced, flows into the Adige (Etsch) to the south of the town.

The background to the east is formed by the magnificent Catinaccio group, with the Torri del Vaiolet, typical Dolomite peaks. Situated at the intersection of important through routes and at the starting point of popular mountain roads, Bolzano has a busy transit traffic, but its convenient situation and beautiful surroundings also make it an excellent base from which to explore the region.

Bolzano is the chief commercial, industrial and tourist center of the mainly German-speaking region of Alto Adige (South Tirol).

The old town, lying within the confluence of the Talvera and the Isarco, is with its handsome Renaissance and Baroque buildings, its picturesque oriel windows, inner courts and staircases, a typical Germanic town. To the west of the Talvera, nearby Gries and Quirain, are typical Italian residential districts. South of the Isarco is Bolzano's industrial zone.

History

Bolzano was the Roman Bauzanum. In 680 it was taken by the Lombards and in 740 by the Franks, and later became the seat of Bavarian Lords of the Marches. For a time it belonged to the bishopric of Trient, which was compelled to cede it to the count of Tirol in the 13th century. It came under Habsburg rule in 1363, and thereafter shared the destinies of Tirol until 1919, when it passed to Italy. In 1948 the provinces of Bolzano and Trento were formed into the autonomous region of Trentino-Alto Adige, and German was granted the status of a second offical language in the province of Bolzano.

Since 1964 Bolzano has been the headquarters of the bishopric of Bolzano and Bressanone, in which the communes in Bolzano province previously belonging to the diocese of Trento were also incorporated.