Bolzano, Italy

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Today I did a lot of driving, mostly northward on from Ravenna to Bolzano, Italy. Bolzano is located at the foot of the Italian Alps and historically has been a good place to "rest up" before tackling the Brenner Pass to Innsbruck (in Austria) and Munich (in Germany). After driving across the flat land of central northern Italy, I was greeted by the foot hills of the Alps rising up to meet me (see photo). I arrived in Bolzano and checked into the hotel. Then I took a little walk around the town center. From the main square you can see a "hill" on the right side (see photo), and I know that the snow-capped peaks are just behind it. Bolzano is located in an area known as the Tyrol. It is a German-speaking area that historically was attached to the Austrian Empire, but after they started, then lost, WWI it was ceded to Italy. Most people here speak both languages and all signs are in Italian and German. The main reason I am here is to see the South Tyrol Museum of Archeology (see photo). The museum is really only about one thing: The iceman known as Otzi. He is a man who lived over 5,000 years ago and was discovered frozen in a glacier high in the Alps in 1991 by a couple of hikers. He has been remarkably well preserved by a series of unlikely events that essentially freeze-dried him. I have been fascinated by this story for years and was pleased to be able to arrange my schedule so that I could see the actual man. He is kept in a special freezer compartment and is viewable through a window. It is all quite high tech and pictures of him are not allowed. However, other displays at the museum are photographable and my favorite is the recent "reconstruction" of what Otzi may have looked like (see photo). His long bow, stone knife, copper ax, and clothing are also on display. His is a very interesting story and I was glad to be able to spend time this afternoon learning more about it. (Parenthetically I will add that I was also glad to arrive so late in the day when most of the school groups had left and we adult museum-goers could enjoy the museum in relative quiet.)

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