Impossibly Scenic Landscapes in Italy’s South Tyrol

In the northern part of Italy close to the border with Austria lies a group of mountain ranges called the Dolomites. Although it’s been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, this portion of Italy remains relatively unknown to people from outside the region. It is just around 200 kilometers from Venice but the autonomous province of South Tyrol or Alto Adige seems like a world apart from the Latin heritage of Italy. German is the lingua franca rather than Italian while the alpine landscape makes the area look like a scene from neighboring Austria or even Switzerland. Sometimes, the sight of a single picture is all it takes to inspire me to go somewhere. This was exactly the case with South Tyrol. I had encountered a picture of some unreal scenery some months back and I knew instantly I had to go there no matter what it took. When I next had a chance to visit Europe, I made sure I allotted some time to venture to South Tyrol.

Bressanone / Brixen

To get here, I had to take a train that criss-crossed some awesome scenery along the Brenner Pass, a passageway that has been around since the Roman times. The train cut through some small villages on the hills while the radiant colors of autumn started to make itself visible. My stop for the day was the humble town of Bressanone, or Brixen in German. With a population of around 20,000; it’s the 3rd largest town in South Tyrol. It’s also not featured in most major guidebooks. In fact, I initially didn’t have any inkling on what there was to see in this town. It was just the idea of encountering some unreal landscapes that led me to this part of the continent.

bressanone cathedral

From the town’s bus station, it is just a short walk to the compact old town which like many old towns in Europe, is filled with fancy restaurants, bars and souvenir shops. While the architecture’s decidedly Tyrolean, the presence of chic boutiques served as a clear sign that I was finally in Italy.

The heart of the old town is the Piazza del Duomo, where the duomo or the cathedral is located. Although Bressanone is not the largest town in South Tyrol, the cathedral here is arguably the most important in the entire province. The interiors are stunning as they have been for hundreds of years.

Beside the cathedral is the cloister, filled with colorful frescoes that originated from medieval times.

bressanone hofburg

Aside from the main square, Bressanone has a couple more interesting attractions which include the Hofburg and a pharmacy museum. All in all, it’s worthwhile to spend a few hours exploring.

Val di Funes / Villnöß

After a morning out on the town, it was now time to venture to some of the most awesome alpine villages of the Italian Tyrol. While there was a bus for the 30 minute or so ride to Santa Maddalena, the village I shortlisted, buses are few and far between and another option one could possibly take is to hitchhike.

Funes, also known by its German name, Villnoss is a community that is made up of several villages southeast of Bressanone. And while the Dolomites actually covers a large swathe of Italy’s far north, the most iconic image that people have of this mountain range is actually found in the village of Santa Maddalena. Impossibly scenic, I was praying for good weather as I got nearer to my destination.

My home for 2 nights was the Hotel Tyrol and I rang up the property earlier to ask for a pick up. After I got dropped off at the highway, Michael, the owner picked me up promptly for the short but steep ride to the hotel.

my room at hotel tyrol

Of all the guesthouses and small hotels around the village of Santa Maddalena in Funes, the most popular (and perhaps the largest one) is Hotel Tyrol. Boasting a spa, pool and outdoor sauna; it’s very popular among tourists from nearby Germany, Austria or from elsewhere in Italy. That being said, the town still remains relatively unknown to people outside of Central Europe despite the community’s picturesque image constantly being used to describe the Dolomites. I suspect it’s due to a lack of information on how exactly to get there.

the village of santa maddalena

I practically wasted no time after dropping my bags at my room to find out exactly where that impossibly scenic area was. Michael pointed me to go around the rear of the hotel. After some pretty steep climbs, I finally made it. If there ever was an image that I could most closely associate with the alps, that was it. The rolling, verdant hills of the valley juxtaposed against the mighty and sharp peaks of the Puez-Geisler group of the Dolomites. It took a while before it sunk in that I was staring directly at what was probably the best view I’ve seen in my entire life, not at some painting in a museum. The scenery was too impressive that I just sat there and admired the scene before me for a good 2 hours. It also helped that I was there during the fall, when shades of red and yellow were most apparent.

church of st. john

I also dropped by the two churches that have always been used in iconic photos of the Dolomites – the Church of Santa Maddalena as well as the Church of St. John in Ranui, which is a bit of a walk from Santa Maddalena.

awesome ravioli from hotel tyrol

There really is not much to do around Val di Funes aside from admiring the scenery, hiking around the Puez-Geisler mountain range or sampling alpine cuisine while enjoying the spa. For me, that was more than enough. It’s not everyday that I get to wake up to a view of a UNESCO World Heritage-listed mountain range. It was just too bad that the weather wasn’t that great during my visit and I wasn’t able to hike my way up. Perhaps another time! But I did get to sample the delicious cuisine, a mixture of Austrian and Italian culinary styles, and indeed it was fantastic – simple yet sumptuous.

one last look at santa maddalena

Tip: If you plan to hike the Puez Geisler range in good weather, your best bet is to do it in the months of July and August. Otherwise, allow for at least a 2 or 3 night stay. To get there and back to the village requires a full day’s excursion.

Getting There

Bressanone is easily reachable from Germany, Austria and elsewhere in Italy. From the south, the train passes through Verona, Trento and Bolzano before reaching the town. From the north, the train originates from Munich and passes through Innsbruck and crosses the Italian border to Bressanone.

To get to the village of Santa Maddalena, you can take Bus #340 from the bus station just next to the Bressanone train station or from Bressanone’s main bus station which is just a few minutes’ walk from the old town. Buses usually depart hourly except during weekends when the frequency drops to every two hours. Hitchhiking is possible but caution is advised.

Bino

Hi, my name is Bino and I started I Wander around 15 years ago with the aim of sharing about some of my personal journeys and experiences, hoping that the information may benefit readers like yourselves. Let me know your thoughts by leaving a comment below. Alternatively, you can also email me at b i n o (at) iwandered.net. You can follow I Wander on Facebook, Telegram, or Instagram. Also, if you liked this article, please feel free to SHARE or RETWEET

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