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vipiteno sterzing |
| Situated on the busy route north from Bolzano to Innsbruck, VIPITENO
(STERZING) is easy enough to get to. This close to the Austrian border
it's hardly surprising that much of Vipiteno is typically Tyrolean, with
geranium-filled balconies and wood-panelled old inns. The porticoed main
street, however, Via Cittą Nuova (Neustadtstrasse), is more reminiscent
of places further south, lined with elegant, battlemented palazzi
erected in Renaissance times by a locally based Florentine bank. At one
end, the Torre di Cittą was rebuilt in 1867 after fire destroyed the
fifteenth-century original. The late-Gothic Palazzo Comunale on the
square behind, is worth a visit for its attractive galleried courtyard
and a collection of fifteenth- and sixteenth-century paintings and
sculptures (Mon-Sat 8.30am-noon & 2.30-6pm L2500/¬1.29). Also worth
tracking down is the Museo Civico , on Via della Commenda (May-Oct Tues-Sat
10am-noon & 2-5pm; L3000/¬1.55), five minutes' walk from the centre,
near the hospital. The museum is essentially an exhibition of local
carving, the highlight being an altarpiece by Hans Multscher, a
fifteenth-century sculptor and painter from Ulm. His work shows a keen
sense of realism, as exemplified in an altarpiece of 1459. Several of
his carved wooden figures can be seen in the nearby parish church of
Santa Maria in Vibitin . If you decide to stay in Vipiteno, the elegant, friendly Wipptalerhof , Via Cittą Nuova 4 (tel 0472.765.428; L90,000-120,000/¬46.48-61.98) is undoubtedly the first choice. If it's fully booked, the tranquil Pension Schneider , Eduard Ploner Strasse 1 (tel 0472.765.288; L90,000-120,000/¬46.48-61.98) is well-situated on a quiet side-street just above Via Cittą Vecchia, the extension of Via Cittą Nuova. |