Entries about bolzano.

Bressanone is a beautiful town situated some 40 kilometers from Bolzano. I have visited it several times as a day trip. It takes around one hour and half to get there from the village where I live; by train.

You could start your visit to Bressanone from piazza del Duomo. It is the main square of this town.

On piazza del Duomo you see part of the town hall, the duomo (cathedral), saint Michael church and a large and modern fountain.

The duomo (the cathedral) was rebuilt at the end of the XII century. It was originally built on the remains of a previous church; this probably dated to the X century.

If you are going to visit the cathedral in Bressanone, don' t miss a visit to its cloister.

Here you will see lots of frescoes painted from the XIV to the XI centuries.

Besides the frescoes there are some buildings inside the cloister; as a chapel with frescoes (saint John's church). the Madonna' s church which has frescoes as well and the baptistery with frescoes from 1210 go 1320.

The entrance to the cloister is to the right of the church door.

One of the highlights of Bressanone is the Bishops' Palace.

The construction of this large three storeys building was started in the XIII century. It was rebuilt various times through the centuries. What we see today dates to the 1707 and 1711.

Here the princes - bishops and later the bishops lived. The princes - bishops were priests who ruled over a territory.

Many rooms inside the palace are opened to visitors who are allowed to enjoy them with a guided tour or by themselves.

Another part pof the palace was where the German emperors were housed as guests of the princes - bishops.

Another area of this palace houses the Museo Diocesano; with parts of the cathedral (duomo) museum and a large collection of ancient cribs.

The Bishops' Palace is not fully open in the winter. During this season you can only visit the rooms with the cribs.

Il Giardino dei Signori ( the Lords Garden) is a small garden built originally around 1570. It was rebuilt in 1991.

Inside there was a fish tank, a small summer house, an aviary and an orangery. This was used to protect plants during the winter. There were lemons, oranges trees, and laurels inside.

Today the Lords Garden has some flowerbeds, a fountain and a few benches. It is surrounded by a wall.

This garden is situated near the Bishop' s Palace.

An interesting event held every year at the end of september and the beginning of october is the Mercato del pane e dello strudel.

This food market is held at piazza Duomo.

Here you can see lots of stalls where you can buy various kinds of bread and sweets made by bakeries located in South Thyrol. You can also sample some bread. Here you will find ordinary and sweet bread.

In the center of the square many long tables are set for this event. You have to buy your food (typical food) at some stalls. Drinks are served by some waiters.

There are two streets with porticoes in Bressanone; as in other towns in South Tyrol: See Bolzano and Merano.

These porticoes streets are lined with lots of shops.

Don' t miss Brixen if you are in Trentino Alto Adige!