Bolzano (Bozen) lies on the Isarco river near its confluence with the Adige, and is the capital of the autonomous province of South Tyrol in northern Italy, just south of the Austrian border. Its population of about 100,000 is bilingual; the different cultural influences are mixed delightfully in the architecture, gastronomy and traditions of the area.

Bolzano's eventful history goes back to the time when Drusus, the adopted son of Emperor Augustus, conquered the Val d'Adige in 15 B.C. and built a bridge (Pons Drusi) and a road post. After the fall of the Roman Empire, the region saw invasions by Goths, Franks, Longobards and Bavarians. In the 11th Century the Bishop of Trento Ulderico II received it in fief, and founded a small urban nucleus in the place of the present-day Portici.The city walls were erected in the12th Century. In the 13th Century the town came under the control of the Tyrolean counts, was passed to the Habsburgs in the 14th Century, and flourished as a commercial centre, a meeting point between merchants from the Mediterranean and Northern Europe, from the 15th Century onwards. After World War I the Treaty of Saint Germain finally assigned Alto Adige to Italy, splitting the Tyrol area. After World War II and much controversy, the region of South Tyrol (Bolzano and Trento) was given the status of autonomous province in 1948.

Owing to its location at the centre of the main route between northern and southern Europe, Bolzano has been an important commercial centre since the Middle Ages. Today, it is not only an industrial town but also the site of numerous trade fairs, conventions, seminars and meetings. It also hosts a variety of cultural events, music and dance festivals, concerts and competitions.

The town is full of many charms. The narrow winding streets invite for a walk, the elegant arcades of the Via dei Portici offer endless opportunities for a shopping spree. The town's lively open-air markets are full of colourful hand-crafted and locally produced goods. Piazza Walther is the town's heart. Built in 1808, it was named after the prominent Medieval German poet Walther von der Vogelweide. The Romanesque-Gothic Cathedral with its lacy 65-metre-high bell tower (13th-16th Century) is also a must-see.