Merano/Meran → Bolzano

Arcades and central squares

Begin along the medieval Portici, a covered commercial street whose continuous arcades preserve the layout of the old market town. They lead toward Piazza Walther, opened in the nineteenth century and named for poet Walther von der Vogelweide. Nearby, the Cathedral of the Assumption combines Romanesque and Gothic elements, including a patterned roof and carved portal. The compact centre brings Italian and German urban traditions into close view.

Ötzi and the alpine past

At the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology, the preserved body of Ötzi the Iceman is the centrepiece of a display about Copper Age life and the discovery in the Alps. The museum lies on Via Museo, just off the arcades. Pair the visit with a walk through the old lanes to see how the alpine setting, trade routes and multilingual history meet in the city’s architecture.