Blogs from Bolzano, Trentino Alto Adige, Italy, Europe

Friday, July 01, 2011 I am beginning to forget what day of the week is it. Mostly I’ve been counting the days in terms of how long my stay in a particular town is. Today is day three of my Bolzano stay. ”Dov’e una bus per Siusi?” This morning I skipped out on the simple breakfast offered by the hostel and set out to get on the bus for Siusi (See-oo-see) to catch the lift to the big and popular alpine meadow. I got to a bus stop in time, it was just not the right one. Bolzano has several major bus stops, and my miscalculation ended up costing me an hour wait for the next bus. Fortunately, it took me less than an hour to find the correct bus terminal. The Road to Hana… Oops, ... read more

Wednesday, June 29, 2011 Good Bye, Good Riddance I got up and moving early, in hopes of catching the 7am bus to the train station. At the check out counter, however, I realized I would be just too late. I asked the staff to call me a cab, not wanting to wait another full hour for the next bus. The taxi was worth the €10, since we passed two number 90 busses on the way to the station. And I arrived in plenty of time to find where my train would be and have a small breakfast. Wait, Now Hurry My booklet said no reservation were needed to go to Verona, where I would connect to another train to Bolzano Bozen. Fifteen minutes before I was to board, I looked at the giant schedule posted in ... read more

I forgot to mention that we detoured on the way home past the computer lab at CIMBA. We still hadn’t confirmed any of our Saturday and Sunday plans. My colleagues had been offering a bunch of terrific ideas—from Lake Garda to Slovenia. My dad’s typical response to ideas was “It’s up to you, honey. I’m just along for the ride.” But eventually we came across a winner. My colleague Chris (another Michigander!) suggested Bolzano. It is only a few hours away by train. So that met our need to have a quick trip. It’s a small town in the Italian Alps that is more Austrian than it is Italian. So that met my dad’s desire to see a different country. And it is home to Ötzi, the 5,000-year-old ice mummy. That sealed the deal. My dad ... read more

At the weekend I took part in the "largest student sporting event on the snow", in Bolzano/Bozen. Snowdays 2009 organised by the students of the University of Bolzano for 350 other students from France, Germany and Italy. Activities included midnight sledging, skiing, a snow-volleyball tornament and lots of general celebration. I went with 16 other students from Bologna, and we were decidedly the coolest and best team, as we were beautifully co-ordinated with very fashionable sunglasses (see pictures) and everyone was always very energetic and cheerful despite most of us not sleeping more than about 5 hours in the entire three days. We went on the regional train (it cost about 13 euros for 200km) and were hosted by the Bolzano students and everything was heavily subsidised so the trip ended up being extremely good value. ... read more

Bolzano - Ten days in the sky If you enjoy the excitement of exploring the worlds wonders coupled with the Baccean joy of indulging in local wines: Think South Tryol, think The Dolomites. This region in Northern Italy is so far north that half the population speaks German, which is great as it means you get Italian style and cafes, hand in hand with great salamis and fabulous cheeses. All just a few hours by train from Milan. Moka and I based ourselves at Moosebaur campsite, nestled behind an orchard at the base of the valley wall and only a fifteen minute bike ride from the town centre. Bolzano/Bolzen is a European town built around Piazza Walther, (named after a local poet of the 1800’s) and the duomo, a splendid example of gothic architecture, and surrounded ... read more