Wellness, Wine and Wanderwege ...
Well, let me tell you about my recent holiday to Tyrol and Northern Italy – an activity, culinary and historic break I can highly recommend.
INNSBRUCK
After a comfortable 1½ hour flight from London to Innsbruck, the capital of beautiful Tyrol, we headed to its picturesque old town with the world-famous ‘Golden Roof’ building. This late Gothic bay was built for Emperor Maximilian on the occasion of his wedding in the 15th century. Innsbruck is full of historic buildings, shopping opportunities and brimming with lovely, lively Austrian restaurants and cafes, offering tasty Tyrolean specialities such as dumplings (‘Knödel’), sausages and smoked ham (‘Speck’) as well as delicious cakes and patisseries.
After an overnight stay in a modern, central hotel near the river Inn, we headed off to neighbouring Italy.
SOUTH TYROL / NORTHERN ITALY
A mere 20 minutes later, having passed the ‘Brenner Pass’, we found ourselves in Italy.
Modern-day South Tyrol, an autonomous Italian province created in 1948, was part of the Austro-Hungarian County of Tyrol until 1918. It was annexed by Italy at the end of World War 1.
The older generation still speaks German and their Austrian heritage is proudly demonstrated in various customs, traditions and foods. In Alto Adige/Südtirol, German is an official language as well as Italian. All official acts, place names and signs are in both languages. After another 60 minutes, on our way to our 4* Wellness/Spa Hotel Tyrol in Merano, we stopped at the regional Forst brewery, where an inviting beer garden with traditional oompah music, delicious beer and local sausages, dumplings, ‘Schlutzkrapfen’ (Mezzelune or Ravioli filled with spinach ricotta or meat) and ‘Spatzen’ (little pasta doug pieces, literally ‘Little Sparrows’). After a hearty lunch, we checked in at our modern Wellness Hotel Tyrol in the quiet village called Partschins, located on a hill overlooking the gorgeous valley with Merano in the background. Our hotel offered a great package that included a healthy breakfast buffet and 5-course dinner, free use of its spa and pool area with expert fitness classes and Jacuzzi to relax after having spent an active day exploring the area.
WAALWEG TRAILS
The next day, in glorious sunshine and very pleasant temperatures, we headed off to a popular ‘Waalweg’ trail down to Merano.
We followed this unusual, very scenic ‘Wanderwege’ along the historic irrigation channels, which proved an easy hike, leading through flowering meadows, forests and vineyards. The waterways have no significant slopes and offer fascinating views stretching to the valley. The Merano Circuit Trail stretches over 80 km and is definitely worth a hike or two!
MERANO
After having arrived in Merano, we made our way to the Mediteranean promenades and parks in the Alpine spa town on our free hire bikes. What better treat than a large ‘Gelato’ and a cappuccino whilst exploring this beautiful Art Nouveau town centre, which used to be a favourite retreat for Sissi, the wife of the last Kaiser of Austria.
PARCINES WATERFALL
The following morning we hiked to the Parcines Waterfall, an impressive natural spectacle. From a height of 100m, a torrent cascades down over a freestanding cliff into the wide valley below.
Having worked up an appetite we headed for the family-run traditional mountain inn ‘Durster Hof’, famous for its extensive raspberry plantations reaching high up the mountains. Sitting on the sun terrace enjoying delicious homemade dishes and a raspberry schnaps brought our day in the mountains to a satisfying end.
BIKING
On our last day in South Tyrol, we rented some Mountain E-Bikes and enjoyed a beautiful cycling route leading through orchards and vineyards. A handy train, bus and bike combination ticket allowed us to utilise these means of transport as well as a bike shuttle to explore the whole area.
We stopped at the ‘Baron Von Tripp Winery’ where an interesting wine tasting session educated us on the varied wines from this region. Here you can purchase your favourite wines at wholesale prices.
HIKING
Another very important activity offered in South Tyrol is Hiking at various altitudes, assisted by chairlifts and cable cars.Unfortunately, we ran out of time and promised ourselves to return next year, equipped with our hiking boots to discover the imposing mountains and also experience some challenging mountain biking.
If you would like to find out more about this fantastic region of Italy, ideal for families, friends and couples of all ages, then please get in touch with me. I can recommend hotels, restaurants, trails and hikes and create your own, personalised activity holiday.