Visit Italy

Visit Italy > Trentino-Alto Adige > Merano

hotels

car hire

Merano Hotels

(or enter new destination)

Check-in date

12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728293031

Check-out date

12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728293031

Dates not yet known

Search

Visit Merano

Merano is located to the north-west of Bolzano, in northern Trentino-Alto Adige, located about 350 meters above sea level, among the Venosta, Passiria and Adige Valleys. The town is more German-Austrian in feel than Italian, and is a pleasant place best known for it spa waters and treatments. Merano old centre is a calm and enjoyable place to explore, with colourful, pastel-painted arcaded buildings lining the streets, and the town is attractively surrounded by rocky mountains and green valleys.

The River Passirio passes through the town, and it is popular and pleasant to walk along the river banks - one of the best ways to enjoy Merano, because of the gardens that line the river. The so-called winter walk and summer walk along the river each lead to ancient bridges. The town has a mild micro-climate which allows sub-tropical plants to grow and other plants to flourish. This can be seen best at the very impressive large gardens at Castle Trauttmansdorff.

A tour of Merano

Merano old town includes the part of the arcades which connects the Piazza Duomo, Piazza del Grano and  the Steinach quarter, with the three city gates still preserved. The center today is probably the site of the ancient Roman settlement, called "Castrum Maiense," which was presumably located in the current residential quarter of 'Maia Alta', where remains dating back to Roman times have been found.

The Street of “Portici” was built in the thirteenth century by the Count of Tyrol, Meinhard II (1238-1295). About 400 meters long, stretching from the Piazza Duomo to Piazza del Grano it is low-arched and supported by stone columns. The façades date back to different periods, and inside we can see the typical plan of the buildings with stairways, courtyards and skylights. From the Middle Ages on this important street was the centre of the Tyrolean  commercial life and the Mint was located here between the 13th and 14th centuries.

The Chapel of St. Barbara is behind the apse of the Cathedral, a Gothic structure with an octagonal crypt downstairs. Inside the chapel, besides the vaulted ceilings, the fine wood altar is painted with faux marble, with the altarpiece depicting St. Barbara, by the local painter  Matthias Pussjäger (1654-1734).

The Piazza del Grano is located at the bottom of Via dei Portici and once served as the marketplace. In 1310 the Convent of Poor Clares was founded; the church dedicated to St. Catherine monastery was connected to a single-span covered bridge that crossed the “Via delle Corse”. Today is only visible in the cloister, with frescoes in the International Gothic style, detached from the ancient Church.

The Steinach quarter is located around the Duomo, the Passiria gate and the right bank of the Passirio River. In the thirteenth century the construction of the city began here. Some buildings and palaces still retain their original character reminiscent of the original status of the city; in particular, the Roman bridge, built in the 17th century, connects the Steinach quarter and the old part of town, with the walk "Gilf" and the quarter of “Maia Alta”. This is the oldest bridge over the Passirio River.

Merano Cathedral is dedicated to St. Nicholas, the patron of traders, farmers and carters, and it is located near the commercial district, point of collection and sorting of goods from both the north and south. The construction of Merano cathedral began in 1302 and lasted until the mid-fifteenth century. It is a large Gothic building with three naves. Outside, the south side was richly decorated and assumed the function of the main façade.

In 1271 Meinhard II erected the hospital and the adjoining Church of the Holy Spirit outside the city walls, and Sigismund of Austria (1427-1496) completed the work; it is a church with a longitudinal plan and a choir with a polygonal vault. The exterior features buttresses, while the façade is surmounted by a small bell tower with a pointed arch, decorated with symbols of the Trinity and the kneeling figures of the commissioners. On the southern side lies the fresco of Christ Crucified between Mary and St. John, by Ambrosius Gander (XV century). Inside there is a group of the Crucifixion from the mid-14th century, and on the south side stand out the frescoes and medallions, reminding us of the floods down into the church from the Middle Ages to the 18th century.

Other religious buildings of great artistic value are the church of San Vigilio, with a Gothic altar and frescoes dating from the fifteenth century, and the Romanesque style church of Santa Maria del Conforto, dating from the 12th century and containing a cycle of Byzantine-style frescoes.

Merano region and gastronomy

It is also Meranos location that is much of the attraction - both for the castles in the vicinity, and for the easy access to the impressive mountain ranges that it provides. Two natural parks (Parco Naturale Gruppo del Tessa and Parco Nazionale dello Stelvio) and the Ortles mountain range are all close to hand, and jam-packed with opportunities for hiking and other outdoor activities.

The region around Merano offer tourists various entertainment possibilities; for example the opportunity to practice mountain bikes, and taste the gastronomic specialties of Upper-Adige region, which offers various dishes of the Tyrolean and Italian tradition. The choice is very varied, appealing among them are the speck, cheeses, homemade bread, the "Weinsuppe" made with beef broth in cream and white wine, radishes and crunchy salads. A typical sweet is the strudel. In autumn, we can try the so-called "chestnuts with the ‘vino novello’ [‘new wine’]", a long-standing tradition of Upper- Adige.

See also history of Merano.