Italy: Part 1

 

We left for Bologna early morning Sunday headed towards Vipiteno for our first stop. Vipiteno (Italian name) Sterzing (German Name).  It is known as an Italian comune (municipality) in the province of Bolzano located in the region of Trentino – Alto Adige, Northern Italy near Austria. 

It’s an old town surrounded by mountains with it’s history dating back to 985AD.  With a population of 75% Italian and 25% German, at times I found myself thinking, ‘Are we in Germany or Italy.’

 

Below is a picture of the motel or B&B we stayed at for the evening.  And wouldn’t you know, the town was having their own festival, so of course we headed down to the party.

 

 

Vipiteno or Sterzing: you decide.

From what I’ve heard the town was once ruled by Germans and then back to Italians, then back to Germans, then back to Italians and so on, you get the picture.  Both cultures celebrated.  Think of it as any other border city where one will find a mix of cultures and national identity.

The guys above look suspiciously German, perhaps it’s the lederhosen. I quite enjoyed Vipiteno.  If you’re ever in the area, I recommend stopping and experiencing the feel of local people making there own blend of music, food and life.

 

 

 

We stopped, drank beer and had a blend of Italian/German food and watched the love affair of two cultures unfold in the streets of Vipiteno.

 

Vipiteno, provided a great transition for us, landscape wise and language wise. As we traveled further into Italy the language became more Barolo like and the Germanic influence began to wane.

 

The evening was great, we spent it walking around the city and taking in the mountain air and scenery.  Next we would be headed to Bardolino, near Lake Garda.

until next time.

hugs,

M&L

and the Yazzos

 

Here’s a short video of our visitors. Don’t worry there was only rain on the way down to Italy and coming back home the rest was fantastic.