My Joyful Love Affair with the Beautiful and Diverse South Tyrol Italy

There were tears in my eyes on Saturday as I thought about leaving South Tyrol the next day.

How could I leave this amazingly beautiful place?

I was kind of kicking myself for not staying a bit longer. 

On this 4th trip to the province, my love affair is definitely cemented. 

I am so happy and ecstatic when I am in South Tyrol.

And I am also at peace — with nature, the world, life, myself.

Where exactly is South Tyrol? 

If you don’t know where this province is, then check out the map below where I’ve highlighted some of my favorite places.

But it’s the northern province of the Trentino-Alto Adige region.

So it’s way up north in the boot and borders Austria.

It’s far more Germanic than the Trentino piece — the Trento province.

This is because it was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire prior to WWI.

Italy was awarded this piece of land when they switched from the losing side (Germany, Austria) to the winning side (Britain, France, USA).

While German is spoken first, all the folks there do speak Italian — as a second language.

Signs are in German first unless you are in a Ladin area.

The Ladin people are an ethnic group who live in parts of northern Italy.

They have their own language, traditions and food. 

So in places that are more Ladin, like San Vigilio di Marebbe, the signs are in Ladin first, Italian second then German.

Okay. 

So we know where this destination is.

Now why am I so in love with it?

Let me tell you a story…or 2.

I first came to this area in 2011.

I wanted to go to the Dolomites, not realizing there are about 9 Dolomite parks scattered over a few regions of northern Italy.

So I did some research and found Castelrotto in South Tyrol.  (Thanks to Rick Steves)

On that first trip — as the Schlern (Sciliar in Italian) loomed before me — I knew this would be a destination I was going to like.

After a few days I knew I had to come back to explore more.

3 years later, I decided to return to Castelrotto (Kastelruth in German).

I needed to see my friend, the Schlern, and explore the Alpe di Siusi (Seiser Alm in German).

But I also wanted to see a couple of other towns and areas. 

So I added Campo Tures (Sand in Taufers in German) because I wanted to see its castle (see below) and the adjacent Valle Aurina (Ahrtnal in German) that looked so beautiful. 

And I added San Vigilio di Marebbe because this town and the Dolomite peaks of Fanes-Sennes- Braies looked gorgeous. 

I was only doing a few nights in each place — just a little discovery trip.

Well….

My first stay in San Vigilio di Marebbe is one of my favorite stories.

This village was my third and final stop in South Tyrol on that 2014 trip.

I was meant to stay in another hotel.

But I received an email from the hotel owner telling me they needed to close early for the season (it was late September) as his wife was about to have a baby.

Plus I don’t think they were that busy.

So he made arrangements for me to stay at another hotel and, as long as I was okay with it, he would simply transfer my booking to this accommodation.

I was skeptical although in looking at the website, this hotel did look nice.

This hotel was, is, Hotel Olympia. 

It was by chance that I ended up staying in one of my absolute favorite accommodations in all of Europe.

I promptly fell in love with Hotel Olympia, the family who runs it, and San Vigilio di Marebbe as well as Fanes-Sennes-Braies Dolomite Nature Park.

It is one of my favorite destinations in South Tyrol. 

And as I left on Sunday, I felt this huge tug in my heart.

I promised Marco, the owner, and his daughter, Camilla, to return next year and stay longer.

They teased me saying I wouldn’t come back for years and only stay a few days.

But I wrote in the guest book that I would come back in 2022 and stay longer.

So, it’s in writing!!

Visiting South Tyrol

Places to stay:

Castelrotto/Kastelruth

Hotel Cavallino D’Oro

Hotel Mayr and Residence Mayr

Hotel Garni Savoy

Garni Doris

Hof zu Fall

 

San Vigilio di Marebbe area

Hotel Olympia

Garni Erna

Sennes Hut

 

Place to eat: 

Castelrotto/Kastelruth

Liftstüberl

Saalstuben

Ristorante Pizzeria Zur Alten Schmiede

 

Tourism info links:

South Tyrol

Kaltern/Caldaro

 

Drives to take:

Passo Gardena (gorgeous!)

SS51 Between Dobbiaco and Cortina d’Ampezzo (goes between Fanes-Sennes-Braies and Tre Cime)

There are many more drives in South Tyrol but these are 2 I am most familiar with

Please note that Wander Your Way does not encourage international travel at this time due to the current global health situation with the COVID-19 pandemic. Although some countries are open, it is complicated.

If you do decide to travel internationally, please do your research or use a travel planning service such as Wander Your Way. Please stay up to date using official sources like the WHO and CDC.

While I am out traveling at this time, I am doing so as a remote worker and less of a traveler. And I’m taking all precautions to stay safe and avoid large gatherings of people. It’s my hope to continue to inspire you to travel to Europe when the time is right for you.

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