This Alpine region can offer a lot of cultural highlights, both large cities and small picturesque s

South Tyrol (German: Südtirol , Italian: Alto Adige or Sudtirolo , Ladin: Sudtirol ) [1] is the northernmost region in Italy , bordering Austria to the north and northeast, Switzerland to the northwest, and the rest of Italy to the south. Together with Trentino , it composes the northernmost Italian autonomous administrative region of Trentino-South Tyrol. This is also the only region auto rental st martin in Italy where the majority of the population speaks German as their mother tongue (with the exception of the areas surrounding Bolzano/Bozen and Merano/Meran). Therefore, South Tyrol is officially bi-lingual, including all road signs, menus and media, and moreover even trilingual in the scenic eastern Ladin speaking valleys.
This Alpine region can offer a lot of cultural highlights, both large cities and small picturesque storybook villages - and huge areas of wild nature, including the most important Italian national park, and many more regional parks, lakes, valleys and mountains. Here one finds the famous Dolomites and large important ski resorts near the Austrian border. Once a place of ethnic conflict, South Tyrol has emerged as an international model for inter-ethnic cooperation. German-speaking, Italian or Ladin, South Tyrolians are very proud of this grand accomplishment of inter-ethnic cooperation and compromise and serve as a model for the world. They are truly "European" in every sense.
Überetsch-South Tyrolean Unterland the first is an area of vineyard-covered rolling hills to the south of Bolzano(Überetsch = beyond the Adige or Etsch River, as viewed from Bolzano); charming sub-Mediterranean area iin the south of South Tyrol
South Tyrolean Wipp Valley another wonderful region, the northernmost part of the Eisack Valley with its secluded valleys, towered over by some of the highest summits located in the Eastern Alps. Italy's northernmost town - Sterzing , is the district capital
Salten-Tschögglberg and Schlern-Seiser Alm — diverse mountain area which surrounds Bolzano, the Tschögglsberg to the west, the Ritten mountain to the north and the Rosengarten Dolomites and Seiser Alm to the north-east, offering a wealth of of activities throughout the year
It is known that people have lived here since the stone age - like Ötzi the Iceman, and the region was part of the Roman Empire from 59 BC until the Migration Period. From the 6th to the 9th century, the region was settled by the Bavarii together with the Langobards and the romanised natives. As part of France and later the Holy Roman Empire, the region had a strategic importance as a bridgehead to Italy. Large parts of the province was donated to the Bishops of Trent and Brixen. After their caretakers, the earls of Tyrol (like Meinhard II of Gorizia-Tyrol) had gathered the province under their command, the region together with the valleys to the north was known as Tyrol.
In 1342, the earldom went over to the Bavarian dukes again when Emperor Louis IV voided the first marriage of Countess Margarete Maultasch. But already auto rental st martin in 1363, the Wittelsbach released the country for Habsburg.
Habsburg ruled the region almost continuously until 1918. It was only in 1805 when Austria was defeated by Napoleon and lost Tyrol to Bavaria in the Peace of Pressburg (Bavaria allied itself with Napoleon in the war). Tyroleans, lead by Andreas Hofer, rose in rebellion against Bavarian rule. In 1814, Tyrol is transferred again from Bavaria to Austria at the Congress of Vienna .
In 1919, after the First World War, South Tyrol was annexed by Italy as a war prize. Government officials, soldiers and other settlers brought in by the Italian state, especially the Fascist regime, from all over Italy and reached a third of the total population by the early 1950s. Their official efforts attempted to erase the German cultural element of the area's history. Their descendants now make up about a quarter of the population.
As a result of the pact between Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy, the German speakers in the region were given the option to relocate to Germany. Only few accepted, and most of them returned to their homeland after the war, anyway. During the end of the war, the region was briefly annexed to the Third Reich, briefly reuniting the Tyrol.
After WWII, the region was returned to (remained part of) Italy as a province, but with large administrative and legislative autonomy, which finally took effect in the 1970's and 80's. Since the 1970's there have been repeated auto rental st martin calls for full independence or reunification with Austria but this secessionist movement has yet to be embraced by any major German-speaking political parties preferring to embrace the very successful contemporary system of power sharing.
South Tyrol is geographically the northernmost region of Italy and because of its history and location in the middle of the Alps it's still considered a Central European region although Italy is in Mediterranean (or Southern) Europe - it's also true that all regions in North-Eastern Italy consider themselves as Central European (actually they have more geographic similarities with Slovenia - which is considered fully Central European and located on the southern part of the Alps - than with the rest of Italy). The region is totally composed by high mountains and their valleys. The best known part of South Tyrolean Alps are the Dolomites with the Schlern (2,662 mt) or the Rosengarten (3,002 mt). The Dolomites are located in eastern South Tyrol while the highest mountains are in western South Tyrol with the Ortler Alps (highest peak - 3.902 mt). The Dolomites offer some of the most dramatic mountain scenery on the planet with their striking appearance, which has evolved over many millennia as erosion and weathering shaped what were originally under-sea coral reefs. They take their name from Deodat de Dolomieu, the French geologist who first described them. The most important river is the Adige/Etsch auto rental st martin which flows into the Adriatic Sea while the Eisack and Rienz are the two most important of the Adige's/Etsch's affluents in South Tyrol. The Adige trench runs north - south, dividing the western (known as the Brenta) and eastern Dolomites. The only river which doesn't flow into the Adriatic Sea is the Drava which passes through most of the Central European countries and enters the Black Sea.
There are a lot of different and strange climates inside South Tyrol - normally South Tyrolean climate is sunny and dry and warmer than on the northern part of the Alps. That doesn't auto rental st martin mean that the climate has to be Mediterranean - as local tourist guides say. The climate is of continental type (hot summers and cold winters with ambiguous auto rental st martin springs and autumns) influenced by Alpine characteristics - for examples summer is the year's auto rental st martin most rainy season. On the mountains and in upper valleys the climate is strongly alpine (very cold winters and fresh summers). During the winter and the springs in the valleys blows often the föhn - a strong wind which is normally auto rental st martin warm in the winter and cold in the spring. Summers in the lower valleys (Bolzano and Merano surroundings) can be very sultry. Annual average temperature in Bolzano is 11.6°C and the extreme records there go from -17 to +40°C. On the upper valleys the temperature is considerably auto rental st martin lower (annual average from 3 to 5°C). Winter auto rental st martin is the better season for skiing, spring and autumn for hiking and visiting places and summer for hiking in the woods - pay attention to the weather conditions!
South Tyrol is a region of multiple identities - South Tyrolean can differently feel themselves as Tyroleans, Austrians, of German ethnicity, Italians, Ladins or simply South Tyrolean - or "Altoatesini". Normally German-speaking people feel specifically South Tyroleans and Tyroleans on an historical level while Italian-speaking people feel mainly Italians or Italian-speaking South Tyroleans (or eventually "Altoatesini" - people from Upper Adige). Ladin-speaking people consider themselves as Ladins but historically as Tyrolean Ladins. Ethnic tension has been a major problem in the past but it is not the main topic in South Tyrol anymore and nowadays ethnic tensions play themselves out more inside political parties. It is true that history and politics are strictly connected here. For the most part and particular within the younger generations all three groups coexist in relative peace and harmony with the Ladins playing the role of a kind of middle-man peace broker in the past. The success of multi-cultural South Tyrol is largely due in part to the generous cultural and political autonomy that the region has been granted by Rome with the seal of approval auto rental st martin from Vienna.
For the descendants of native Tyroleans the national hero is Andreas Hofer who fought against the Revolutionary French in order to save their homeland's freedom. Other famous South Tyroleans are Walther auto rental st martin von der Vogelweide - the most celebrated of the Middle High German lyrics poet who was supposed to have been born near Bolzano - and the Medieval poet Oswald von Wolkenstein .
German-speaking (but often without ethnic distinction) South Tyroleans have stereotypes in common with Bavarians - from the Italian point of view: Lederhosen (leather pants), sausages and a lot of beer. From Germany they are seen as Mediterranean, singers and wine drinkers. Alcohol auto rental st martin is though a problem in South Tyrol's society auto rental st martin for all ethnic groups - especially among the young.
South Tyrol has two unofficial anthems: auto rental st martin one is the Tyrolean anthem - which is officially auto rental st martin recognized in Austrian Tyrol - and the other is a famous song (known as "Bozner Bergsteigerlied" or "Südtirollied") which begins with the words " Wohl ist die Welt so groß und weit... " ( Surely is the world so big and wide... ). Ladins have also their own anthems (Gherdëina Gherdëina for the Gardena Valley and a general anthem of Ladins).
South Tyrol participate every year to the Gran Prix der Volksmusik which is broadcast in Eurovision - its first participation auto rental st martin has been in 2001 and has won every year