Castles are a big feature of the area and walking from castle to castle is a popular activity. There are over 350 of them perched on hilltops or nestling in vineyards.
Most of the castles were built in the 12th and 13th centuries and many are still lived in. Some are run as hotels and restaurants. The word 'Schloss' means castle in German. Here are just a few them. There are many more to enjoy.
South Tyrol/Alto Adige - Schloss Thurstein
A four kilometre walk from Merano through orchards and vineyards will bring you to Schloss Thurstein and, if you plan it right, in time for a memorable lunch. How does light-as-air spinach dumplings with a creamy walnut sauce sound? There is something very special about having lunch in the warm afternoon sun on the terrace of an ancient castle where once robber barons and warlike bishops sat and surveyed their territory.
South Tyrol/Alto Adige - Schloss Churburg
Another castle, Schloss Churburg near the town of Mals, is still owned by the von Trapp family of 'Sound of Music' fame. It houses a marvellous collection of ancient armour and is worth a visit just to see a 2.10 metre tall suit of armour that weighs about sixty pounds.
South Tyrol/Alto Adige - Schloss Hocheppan
One of the best areas for castle-visiting is Eppan - the name given to a group of small villages set in a lush, wine-growing valley. A comfortable day's walk, at an easy pace, can take you through shaded woods and sunny fields to lunch at one castle; dinner and overnight stay at another. En route you can stop at Schloss Hocheppan from whose battlements you can count some 30 castles and fortresses. This romantic ruin above the vineyards of the river Adigio dates back to Roman times and the chapel contains frescoes that are considered among the best examples of Romanesque style to be found anywhere.
An interesting curiousity can be seen in the chapel; a fresco depicting the Tyrolean knoedel- a dumpling as a work of art! You will find that dumplings are lying in wait for you in many places where you stop to eat They were originally created as a peasant dish to use up left-over bread and scraps of food; some are plum-shaped, some as big as tennis balls, but all are mouth-wateringly delicious.
South Tyrol/Alto Adige - Food, Glorious Food!
Wherever you are in the South Tyrol, good food is easy to come by. Try specialties like speck the local smoked ham which is often served as an appetizer. Many restaurants serve ravioli stuffed with spinach and fried in butter - as a first course! This is no place for those fighting the battle of the bulge. And don't forget to try the apfel strudel and tasty sausages which are sold from street stalls. There's no resemblance to the hot dogs you were used to back home. The steamed wiessworst and meranerwurst are eaten without bread; you dip the sausage into a dollop of sweet mustard on wax paper.
Then there's the wine. The area produces some of Italy's best wines, with the reds dominating - rich ruby, delicious and full of body. The local fruit brandies are very good too, but be careful as they are very potent.
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