Merano: smart and sophisticated
Alto Adige doesn’t only mean mountains tops and peaks; just think about the plain of Merano where the “most Northern” European palms grow up thanks to the mountains that protect that area from the wind and enables the coming of the warm air from the South. This wonderful mix of sky and land is a precious ally of the town that is less than thirty kilometres far from Bolzano.
If it was a woman it would be haughty and sophisticated, smart in her historical Habsburg splendour that is shown in the palaces of the city where a number of cultural and sports events are regularly organized. Like the Grand Prix of Merano, one of the most important horse jumping contest at the European level that is held each year in Merano on the last Sunday of September. Merano has always been keeping its own temperament: in the XIXth century when it started to become famous, it was admired by the kings and queens because of its climate, its healing thermal water and for a wide range of leisure and entertaining events.
It has confirmed its vocation as a healthy place nowadays thanks to its Thermal Baths that cover fifty-thousand square meters in a park with thirteen indoor pools and twelve outdoor ones that are available in Summer surrounded by a thick vegetation. Crossed by the river Passirio and featuring a number of fanciful such as the music weeks, the concerts and the art exhibitions, Merano is catchy because of its contrasts that make it a vibrant city all year through. Actually, in its area the Alpine landscapes and the Mediterranean vegetation come together, “urban chic” lifestyles and the old rural habits in the surroundings. Then, there is the food that is a mix of Mediterranean and European tastes, a matching that includes a number of special wines too. The heritage of Merano is made of art, nature, culture, sports.
The Castle of the Habsburgs and the Gardens of Trauttmansdorff Castle, best known as the Garden of the Empress Sissi are a witness from the past: twelve hectares that gather the exotic and the Mediterranean landscapes in a sort of natural amphitheatre, breathless views upon the mountains and a view of Merano in the sunlight. In more than eighty botanic corners the plants from all over the world blossom and along the path that leads from the gardens to the park of the Empress Sissi everything reminds the visit of the Empress to the thermal city. Other jewels include the Kurhaus Palace – the Jugendstil icon, featuring the typical floral decorations and colourful windows made of wrought iron -, the Puccini theatre and the cathedral dedicated to San Nicolò. The civic museum of Merano mustn’t be missed and during the Advent the magic of Christmas Markets deserves to be experienced too.
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