Michael's birthday was yesterday and we spent it in Bolzano which we reached by train from Bressaone/Brixen with a 30 minute ride. Our hotel provided us with Brixen passes which gives us free public transportation in the area which was a nice perk for us. Michael and I had been in Bolzano back in 2015 when we took our very first group tour with Backroads Adventures for a 7-day hiking trip in the Dolomites. That trip was definitely a hiking trip which this one was not. However, we did get some magnificent photos of the Dolomites.
Upon our arrival, our first agenda of the day was to meet with two Bolzano residents -- one German speaking and one Italian speaking to discuss some of the challenges of Sudtirol. I think I mentioned earlier that Sudtirol is about 70% German speaking and 26% Italian speaking, and 4% Ladin speaking. Interestingly. Bolzano is the opposite with about 66% Italian speakers, 30% German speakers, and 4% Ladin Speakers. The challenges began after WWII when Sudtirol was to become part of Italy. Mussolini gave the German speakers in Sudtirol about a month to decide if they wanted to stay in their homeland and become Italian citizens, or decide to move to Germany or Poland.
It's hard to imagine having to make that choice at a time that is really not that long ago. The German speakers (the majority) were concerned that they would become a marginalize majority -- a reasonable concern. So, there were many years of conflict into the 1970s and 80s when Sudtirol and Trention were both granted autonomous status which meant that what they had to send to Rome in terms of taxes was only 10% and the region could administer the remaining 90% autonomously.
So now, they describe the situation as one of "social peace" because they have 3 different school systems, the German, the Italian, and the Ladin even though theoretically, you can choose to attend anyone you want. The way that they have handled public service/government jobs is proportional with the population that you are in. So in the countryside where the majority are German, the majority of public positions go to German speakers whereas in Bolzano where the Italians are the majority it is the reverse. Theoretically, you could be Italian and decide to go to German schools and become more fluent in German and apply for a German position that is based on your language skills -- but for the most part, that doesn't happen.
We asked about mixed marriages and they both acknowledged that it occurs and works okay. The German speaking woman told us that her son married an Italian woman and they have two daughters who primarily speak Italian so she has a hard time communicating with them. It sounds like a sort of workable solution and perhaps with a few more generations to pass, things may improve further but it really explains why in Sudtirol, there remains a good dose of Italian resentment. In contrast, in Trentino where the Austrians were the oppressors for hundreds of years, the sentiments are just the reverse. Today, with both being "autonomous regions", they have both emerged from being among the poorest, to among the richest regions of Italy.
Now - on to meetting Otzi at the Bozen Municiple Museum. Otzi, who most of you have heard of, is a 5,300 year-preserved mummy that was discovered in ice back in 1991. We could view the mummy behind glass and his skeleton is pretty much intact. They had many artifacts that were also found with his body including clothes, shoes, pouches, arrows, flint for starting fires, and some rudimentary foods.
We weren't allowed to take pictures until we reached the 3rd floor where they had made a replica of Otzi and various reports of his autopsies to try to determine more about how he died. He had been shot with an arrow in one shoulder from the back and had various cuts that were noted. Speculation remains that he was murdered but essentially it remains a "cold case" as one might imagine after being preserved in ice for that long!
So no, just a few photos of Otzi's replica:
After a hour or so visiting with Otzi, we left and grabbed a quick slice of pizza and beer before wandering up to a park that we remembered visiting last time we were here and impressed with our first views of the Dolomites.
We then had to make our way back to an appointed meeting place to reconvene with our group so we could walk to a gondola for a ride to the highest points of the city for a better view of these magnificent mountains.
At the top, Silvia offered us some hazelnut "Loacker" wafer cookies that are made originally in Sudtirol and the package usually has a picture of the Dolomites that we were viewing. We love these little wafers and frequently serve them at dinner parties for a light dessert. They are often available at Trader Joe's but always through Amazon. The lemon flavored wafers are the very best!
Today we leave Bressanone and head toward Venice where we will stay in a country villa quite near to the airport. It's our last day of the trip and 6 of us who are not continuing on for the Venice post-trip will be picked up tomorrow morning at 3:30am to catch our 6-7am flights home!
One more thing before we go has to do with the breakfasts here at our hotel. I joined Michael for his birthday breakfast but I usually skip breakfast. On the menu they had various eggs you can special order including "soft boiled eggs" and "eggs in a glass". I asked what the difference was and the server explained that soft boiled eggs come to you in the shell that you can peel yourself OR eggs in a glass where they are already peeled. I thought that was brilliant since I always loose half of the egg in peeling so I ordered one! 
Now it is time to get our luggage outside of our door and begin our journey to Valsugana and one night (or half a night) at Villa Corner Della Regina.
https://villacorner.com/ We have been forewarned that it is in the middle of nowhere!
This featured blog entry was written by Baroni from the blog Cinque Terre_Lakes_Dolomites.
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