Merano and its spa

Sissi's city and the Tappeiner promenade

At the mouth of the Val Venosta and the Val Passiria, surrounded by mountains that protect it from the cold winds, Merano enjoys a surprisingly mild climate, where palms, cypresses, oleanders and olive trees grow alongside vineyards and apple orchards, with snowy peaks in the background. Once the capital of the County of Tyrol, in the nineteenth century it became one of the most famous health resorts of Europe, frequented by the aristocracy of the Habsburg Empire and by the Empress Elisabeth, known as Sissi, who stayed here several times from 1870, making the town fashionable. Of that golden age remain the Art Nouveau Kurhaus, the elegant hotels, the villas, the Teatro Puccini and the long promenades.

The most famous is the Passeggiata Tappeiner, a panoramic path of about six kilometres on the slopes of Monte Benedetto, above the town, named after the physician Franz Tappeiner, who had it built at the end of the nineteenth century for the health of his patients: it runs among Mediterranean and exotic plants, with views of the roofs of the town and the mountains. Along the Passirio river run the Winter Promenade, with its arcades and cafés, and the shady Summer Promenade. On the other bank, the Terme Merano, a modern spa designed by Matteo Thun and opened in 2005, in a glass cube, has over twenty indoor and outdoor pools, saunas and treatments. In autumn, the Grape Festival and the "grape cure" recall the old traditions, and the Maia racecourse hosts important horse races. The town is the starting point for the Merano High Route and the Waalwege, the paths along the old irrigation channels.

Tip: walk the Tappeiner promenade in the morning; in Christmas time, the market along the Passirio is one of the most beautiful in South Tyrol.

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