Sipping sturdy German beer on a cobbled Italian street, puffing on a Cuban cigar and then, jumping on to a China-made bicycle following street signs in both German and Italian sounds like fun. Yes, when in Bolzano, a charming Italian town on the Austrian border, the two cultures unite while its ancient past appears new and the present, timeless.
Strolling past a group of giggling brunettes through a quaint narrow lane, I feast my eyes on myriad mouth-watering gelato varieties and high-end boutiques with designer brands under the arches of old buildings on both sides. A handful of young Senegalese lads selling colourful knick-knacks are a pleasant contrast, their French and Arabic another flower in Bolzano's cultural bouquet. A vibrant university town, Bolzano effervesces with the spirit of youth round the clock.
Listening to a stocky local gent engage in friendly verbal fencing with our southern Napolitano buddy Salvatore about the differences between Italy's north and its south, I devoured some irresistible ravioli in a quaint family-run café, quite like the ones you would find in Germany and Austria with leitmotif pink interiors, old-style windows and fresh, fragrant flowers. Long-winding footpaths with special cycling tracks is another German trademark, not forgetting the hundreds of cyclists of all ages cruising all along the town. With its rich legacy of ancient history, Bolzano is best explored by foot, the next best mode of transport its affable folk prefer after the bicycle.
Mummy in museum
A visit to the South Tyrol Museum of Archeology is ideally one of the most fascinating experiences the town offers. A haven for international tourists, history and anthropology enthusiasts and young students, the museum houses one of the most well-maintained ancient mummies in the world, that of what is called “Ötzi” the ice man.
A guided tour of the museum opens doors to an intriguing ethos of an ancient era and its people that ones inhabited the region. Known to have lived nearly 5,300 years ago, the ice man has a unique tale to tell the world. Discovered in a frozen glacier in 1991 by two German tourists from Nuremberg and excavated by German archeologist Herbert Hetzel the same year, intensive research was carried out on the corpse which was scientifically examined by experts.
It is estimated that this fascinating ice man was about 1.65 cm (5 feet 5 inches) tall during his death, weighed about 50 kg and was about 45 years of age, while expert analysis shows that he might have spent his childhood in what is today, the village of Feldthurns north of Bolzano, had brown eyes and wore a highly evolved attire designed from natural products.
A life-size model of the ice man in the museum reveals his true avatar. A cloak made of woven grass, a coat, a belt, a pair of leggings, a loin cloth and shoes all made from different types of skins.
Carbon tattoos
An intriguing set of carbon tattoos were found on the ice man, some having groups of short, parallel, vertical lines to both sides of the lower spine, a cruciform mark behind one of his knees and various marks around the ankles. Many believe that these tattoos, though quite an enigma, were a kind of an acupuncture or acupressure treatment to relieve pain.
Interestingly, a set of implements like a copper axe and a yew handle, a flint knife and a quiver of 14 arrows with viburnum and dogwood shafts were also found along with the corpse. It is said that the Ötzi ice man was killed after a long and painful struggle, either during a storm, or by a ritual sacrifice for being a chieftain specifically by an arrow wound.
A few moments of tranquillity bring you back from history to reality, and Bolzano's famous cathedral is the place for seekers of spiritual solace. A marvel of Romanesque and Gothic architecture, the Assumption of Our Lady Cathedral is known as the “treasury museum” as it houses one of the finest and richest collections of sacred items in all of Tyrol, dating back to the medieval and Baroque eras.
The Dominican Church of St. Dominic is another of Bolzano's favorite attractions especially for art lovers from around the globe. The Chapel of St. John, of St. Catherine and the cloister, all within the church are renowned for their masterpieces of Gothic art from the celebrated Gothic School of Padova (first half of the 14th century) with frescos by legends like Friedrich Pacher.
Shopping for designer brands, cycling along the quaint alleyways, kneeling in prayer in a Gothic church or rewinding the clock back to an ancient era, Bolzano with its bouquet of diverse and unique experiences truly enriches the traveller's soul.
Published - October 15, 2011 05:14 pm IST
