With around 100,000 inhabitants, Bozen is the largest town in South Tyrol. The town mainly has its central position at the crossroads of the Eisack and Etsch river valleys to thank for the important role that it enjoys as the seat of the Province government today. It is in such a favourable position geographically that it became an important hub between north and south, allowing trade to flourish. Testaments to this prosperous time are lots of stately-looking buildings in the town centre. 

Under the fascist regime after 1922, Bozen experienced great changes. Mussolini's followers completed large building projects in fascist style that still stand today and created a completely new part of town within the space of a few years. This architectural dichotomy is as part of Bozen today as Waltherplatz square resembling an Italian piazza, the cathedral and, of course, Ötzi.

Flourishing culture
Some people face the dilemma of having to choose between a holiday in the countryside or one involving culture. A holiday flat or room in Bozen will save you that bother. Both culture vultures and nature freaks will love it here.

The eventful history of the town has left behind a few sights. In place of goods from all over the world that were on sale in the Middle Ages, today you find the busiest shopping street in town – the so-called 'Lauben' arcades. After a look around some of the many shops, a visit to the Mercantile Museum is an interesting way to find out about the background to the merchants' town of Bozen. Runkelstein Castle offers even more in the way of medieval history and the largest collection of secular frescoes from the Middle Ages depicts the stories of Tristan and Isolde and King Arthur's Knights of the Round Table. A courtesy visit to the most well-known mummy in the world in the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology should be slotted into your holiday plans. Museion Museum of Contemporary Art, on the other hand, shows a more modern side - something that may be seen from its architecture.

The divided character of the town can be best perceived when on a walk to the fascist Victory Monument on the other side of the Talfer bridge. There is a museum right beneath the monument reminding visitors of Bozen's darkest hours.

All's well that's eaten well
Fortunately, Bozen has plenty to offer rumbling stomachs and sore feet after this museum marathon. Lots of cafés, pizzerias and restaurants show that good Austrian and Italian cuisine can exist side by side locally. Waltherplatz, the main square in Bozen, where the cathedral may be found, is a particularly good spot to enjoy a cappuccino and piece of apple strudel. Anyone taking a Farm Holiday in St. Magdalena near Bozen will also have the chance to watch one of the best-known wines from South Tyrol, the St. Magdalena, growing. Bozen is the second-largest wine-growing municipality in South Tyrol and there are lots of wine cellars and farms serving their own wine.

Get out in the sunshine!
When the spirit is content, the body is satisfied. A sunny day definitely helps towards this. It is up to you how you spend the day while staying in a holiday flat or room: there are walking paths right from Bozen heading into the surrounding area, for example the Ritten plateau. For a more leisurely day, a stroll along one of the many promenades will do the trick. The 'Oswaldweg' path, for example, affords views across the whole town. The area may also be negotiated by bike. The widely-ramified cycle path network doesn't just go as far as the Messner Mountain Museum at Schloss Sigmundskron, but fit cyclists can ride to the lakes at Montiggl and Kaltern. And then to relax the muscles, there's yoga in the vineyards on St. Magdalena slopes.