ART & DESIGN AIRBNB: GUIDE TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD

In South Tyrol, the weather can change very suddenly. It could be hot during the day, and then as soon as the sun goes down the temperature can drop a lot. Even in summer. So we recommend that you bring a lot of layers: that way, you can adjust easily and efficiently when the wind kicks up. Another note: temperatures drop around 1°C for every 100 meters you go up in altitude. So it could be that at the valley station of a cable car it's 20°C ... but then minutes later you can find yourself at 2000 meters and thus 0°C.

One thing to note: since South Tyrol (Alto Adige in Italian, Südtirol in German) is a bilingual province, every town, street, plaza, river, and mountain has a German name and an Italian name. These can be very similar (Merano = Italian; Meran = German) or vary drastically (Belpiano = Italian; Schöneben = German). Do bear this in mind when you are looking for something. If you know both names it’s always best – sometimes Italians won’t recognize the German name and vice versa.

ORIENTATION: The town is laid out along the Passiria (Passer) River. There are three parallel throughways, all pedestrian only: the Passeggiata (Promenade) along the river, Corso Liberta, and the Portici (Lauben), which are medieval arcades – this was a trade route from Rome to Northern Europe all the way back in the Middle Ages. Three city gates are left standing, marking the portals to the Old Town. On Corso Libertà (Freiheitstrasse) you'll find the Tourist Office. We have some guidebooks at the house as well, but you can get maps and everything else you might need there.

TERME MERANO You’ll really want to go to the Terme Merano spa and pool complex. Morning and dinnertime are the least crowded periods. But it’s honestly not bad – especially in the summer when the outdoor park is open – anytime throughout the day. Weekdays are less crowded than weekends, of course. TERME SAUNA The Terme also has a great sauna complex (no bathing suits allowed). If you go to the sauna, be sure to do an Aufguss: they have this sweat ritual with essential oils, where they make a bunch of steam and then you jump into the cold water and they serve fruit. It’s super relaxing. Merano has been a spa resort for the Austrian nobility for hundreds of years so the spa culture is of course well developed. Ladies Day is Thursday afternoon (there are still male attendants – but they don't make you feel uncomfortable). GARDENS OF TRAUTTMANSDORFF CASTLE: Voted World's Best Garden in 2013, if you come to Merano between April and November you must visit the gardens. You can take BUS 4 or 1B (be careful, there is also a 1A which does NOT go there, so be sure to check which bus you are boarding). It’s not too far on foot either, along the SISSIWEG TRAIL. Trauttmansdorff is primarily a botanical garden but there is a LOT going on there and there's a lot to do for kids and adults alike: Sunday brunches, cocktail hours with music, world music concerts, museum of Alpine tourism. It’s South Tyrol’s most popular attraction. KURHAUS AND PROMENADE Much of Merano's charm comes from the fact that the Passer River runs through it. For centuries, visitors to the spa resort have strolled along the shores of the river. Because the climate is mild and sunny, it's especially nice to walk up and down the river along the promenades. This is also where the enchanting CHRISTMAS Market takes place. And the Art Nouveau KURHAUS is home to the MERANO WINE FESTIVAL among many other events. GILF CASCADE You can access GILF, a little gorge with water rushing through it, by simply walking upriver (along either bank). There's a very pretty trail, which ends at the cascade. If from there you head UPHILL, you will hit a road. Cross it, and follow the ramp which takes you up to the start of the Tappeinerweg Trail. TAPPEINERWEG TRAIL: this is a basically horizontal path that runs above the town. There is a lovely restaurant up there called SAXIFRAGA (not to be confused with the Saxifraga along the Promenade, which is more expensive and half as nice). You can also get up to the Tappeinerweg by ascending the staircase behind the main cathedral in Piazza Duomo (Pfarrplatz). But doing the Gilf route either up or down is worth it.

TIROLO (DORF TIROL): It’s super fun to take the little chairlift. Look for signs near a restaurant called Sissi, just to the right (if you are going downhill) off of the mid-point of the portici. When you get off the chairlift, you have to get a short bus ride to Tirolo. You can also walk from the chairlift to town, but it’s better to save the time and walk all the way to the castle. Or you can drive up to Tirolo and park there. Castel Tirolo (Schloss Tirol) was the seat of the old County of Tyrol. The museum inside is very interesting. A great place to eat on your way there is called SANDGRUBERHOF. It’s along the footpath that leads to the castle, on the left-hand side, before you enter the tunnel. You can’t even see the restaurant from the road, but the food is very local and there’s a great view of the castle from the terrace. You have to take the steep driveway down to Sandgruberhof, and then look for the little entrance to the terrace at the back. MUTSPITZ PEAK: If you take the cable car behind Tirolo up, you can do some serious hiking. The Spronserseen (Spronser Lakes) are a few hours away and absolutely gorgeous. There is also a peak called Mutspitz that is doable in a day. When you get up into altitude, everything is German, by the way. Watch the weather – lighting is a serious issue in summer. And it’s very changeable. But in general hiking paths are well signposted, and tourist-friendly. There are a lot of places to stop and eat (usually called “Alm” – where the summer pasturing of the cows used to happen, permanent structures developed and then they opened to tourists). MERANO (MERAN) 2000: This is a nearby mountain resort (skiing in winter, hiking in summer). You can get to the cable car in a few minutes by car. It’s an 8-minute ride up. Or you can drive to Falzeben and walk up on foot. BOLZANO (BOZEN): When it’s hot, you’ll want to go up into the mountains, not to Bolzano (one of Italy’s hottest cities). But it’s a nice place to visit when the weather is nice. The Museum of Archeology has a whole exhibit about Ötzi, the glacial mummy who was discovered intact in the early 1990s. You can see him and all his clothes, the weapons he was carrying, his tattoos – it’s really interesting even for adults. SAN VIGILIO (VIGILJOCH) is a mountain just above Lana, down the freeway a bit. It’s like going back in time – all pedestrian, feels very Old World, and nobody can build any more structures. There’s a beautiful boutique hotel up there. And you can take the chairlift up to the top then walk down in not too much time. Our favorite place to eat is called BÄRENBAD.

VERONA can be seen in a day (in my opinion). The Roman Arena is definitely worth a look and offers operas and concerts in the summer. 90 minutes away LAKE GARDA: I love Garda, even more than the other Italian lakes. Riva del Garda, Malcesine and Sirmione are my favorite spots. About 75 minutes away. VAL SENALES (SCHNALSTAL) isn’t too far away and a very pretty valley. You can take a cable car up to the glacier at 3000+ meters. Technically you can walk to the site where Ötzi was found but it’s serious hiking. DOLOMITES: you can get here for a day trip, but it’s a bit long. They are a UNESCO World Heritage Site, mountains formed from coral reefs. Tre Cime (Drei Zinnen) is quite far away but worth seeing. There are also World War I open-air museums you can visit. Lago di Braies (Prags) is gorgeous, though a very long day trip. The Rosengarten Massif can be seen from near Bolzano. ALPE DI SIUSI (SEISER ALM) is also a day trip. It’s one of Europe’s largest high plateaus and the hiking there is nice as well. NEARBY TOWNS: Glorenza (Glurns), Vipiteno (Sterzing) and Brunico (Bruneck) are charming little towns. CASTLES South Tyrol has more than 600 castles. Besides Schloss Tirol, Coira (Churburg) is probably the nicest.

Most restaurants and taverns start serving dinner pretty early, say 6-6:30 pm and very often close the kitchen around 9-9:30 pm. Make sure, if you plan a late dinner out after a long day hiking in the mountains or a relaxing early-evening 'long 'aperitivo', you check with the restaurant that they will still welcome you with open arms for your well deserved meal.