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BRESSANONE |
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Alta Via 2 can be picked up in the foothills above BRESSANONE (BRIXEN),
whose bishops - in constant rivalry with the neighbouring Counts of
Tyrol - ruled the area as an independent state for a thousand years. The
complex of buildings which made up their base is still the focus of the
town, centred on Piazza del Duomo (Dom Platz), and preserves a medieval
character, though rather diluted by bourgeois tidiness.
The Duomo , modernized in the eighteenth century, is the most imposing
building in the complex: the interesting part lies to the side, in the
cloisters, which were frescoed in the fourteenth century. The cathedral
treasury is now kept in the Museo Diocesano , where vestments belonging
to Bressanone's bishop-princes are hung. Their strong influence in the
region is evident from the present given by Emperor Henry II to Bishop
Albuino: a tenth-century Byzantine silk cloak, spread with the stylized
eagle that was the bishop's personal emblem. The bishop's palace, next
to the duomo, houses the Museo Diocesano (mid-March to Nov Tues-Sun
10am-5pm; L6000/¬3.10), furnished in predictably grand style, with an
overwhelming collection of crib scenes in the crypt (Jan, Feb & Dec 10
daily 2-5pm; L4000/¬2.07). For more secular pleasures, head for the
Novacella Monastery (Kloster Neustift), 3km away and reachable by bus
(at least hourly), which produces well-regarded wine and sells direct to
the public via its own cellar in the old smithy. If you can get a group
together, take a guided tour around the beautifully frescoed medieval
cloisters (Easter-Oct Mon-Sat 10am, 11am, 2pm, 3pm & 4pm; Nov to Easter
Mon-Fri 11am & 3pm, Sat 11am; L6500/¬3.36; tel 0472.836.189).
Bressanone's tourist office (Mon-Sat 8.30am-12.30pm & 2.30-6pm; tel
0472.836.401, www.brixen.org ), opposite the bus station, has
information on trails around the town and further afield. There are some
excellent, inexpensive places to stay in the old town, including Golden
Traube , Via Portici Minori 9 (tel 0472.836.552; up to L60,000/¬30.99),
Tallero , Via Mercato Vecchio 35 (tel 0472.830.577;
L60,000-90,000/¬30.99-46.48) and the small, family-run Mayrhofer , Via
Tratten 17 (tel 0472.836.327; L60,000-90,000/¬30.99-46.48). If you're
feeling flush, the Elephant , Via Rio Bianco 4 (tel 0472.832.750;
elephant.brixen@acs.it ; L120,000-150,000/¬61.98-77.47), is one of the
longest-established grand hotels in the Dolomites, furnished in elegant
Tyrolean style and with excellent food and service. There are two
campsites 5km north in Varna (Vahrn): the Löwenhof ( Al Leone ) is at
Via Lago di Varna 60 (tel 0472.836.216; closed Nov), while the other,
Zum See ( Al Lago ), is near Lake Varna, at Via Lago di Varna 129 (tel
0472.832.169; April-Oct); several buses travel here on weekdays, fewer
at weekends. The narrow streets around the edge of Piazza Duomo have
some old-established Tyrolean restaurants - like Fink , Via Portici
Minori 4 (closed Tues evening & all Wed), and Oste Scuro in front of the
cathedral (closed Sun evening & all Mon), and there's a mensa on Via
Fallmerayer. For picnics, try the shops in the old arcades or the Monday
market on Brennerstrasse.
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