Via Portici, Bolzano, Trentino-Alto Adige, Italy, Europe

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• published: 30 Sep 2011
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Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol is an autonomous region in Northern Italy. Since the 1970s most legislative and administrative competencies have been transferred to the two autonomous provinces which make up the region: Trentino and South Tyrol. The region was part of Austria-Hungary and its predecessors, the Austrian Empire and the Holy Roman Empire from the 8th century until its annexation by Italy in 1919. Together with the Austrian state of Tyrol it is represented by the Euroregion Tyrol-South Tyrol-Trentino. In English, the region is also known as Trentino-South Tyrol or by its Italian name Trentino-Alto Adige. It was inhabited by the Raetian Isarci people and the Romans built a settlement there after the area was conquered in 15 BC by general Nero Claudius Drusus, after whom the settlement Pons Drusi ("Drusus Bridge") was named. The nearby village was called Bauzanum. With the end of the Roman empire a Bavarian immigration began and the first mention of a Bavarian count as ruler of Bolzano dates from 679. The area has been settled by German populations since then. Bolzano became an important trading point after its elevation to a town on 24 June 1190 by bishop Konrad of Trent owing to its location between the two major cities of Venice and Augsburg. Four times a year a market was held and traders came from the south and the north. The mercantile magistrate was therefore founded in 1635. Every market season two Italic and two Germanic officers (appointed from the traders who operated there) worked in this office. The city was a cultural crosspoint at that time and still is to this day. Before World War I Bolzano was part of the Austro-Hungarian county of Tyrol. It was annexed by Italy at the end of World War I and on 1 January 1927 became a provincial capital. At the time of its annexation Bolzano was primarily a German-speaking city, with a pre-war population of 30,000 people. In the 1920s, along with the rest of the province, the city was subjected to an intensive Italianization programme under orders from Benito Mussolini. The aim was to outnumber the local German-speaking population by tripling the population with Italian-speaking immigrants drawn from the old provinces. During World War II Bolzano was the site of the Nazi Bolzano Transit Camp, a concentration camp for Jews and political prisoners. According to the 2011 census 73.80% of the city's inhabitants speak Italian, 25.52% German and 0.68% Ladin as their first language. The city thrives on a mix of old and new high-quality intensive agriculture (including wine, fruit and dairy products), tourism, traditional handicraft (wood, ceramics) and advanced services. Heavy industry (machinery, automotive, steel) installed during the 1930s has now been mostly dismantled. On the downside, the local economy is very dependent on the public sector and especially the provincial government. Bolzano is the biggest city in South Tyrol, which is an autonomous province in Northern Italy with a special statute. This statute preserves the rights of the German-speaking minority in Italy. This unique system has been admired by the Dalai Lama, who visited the city on several occasions to study a possible application in Chinese-occupied Tibet. It has also been presented as role model for the successful and fair resolution of inter-ethnic conflict to other regions of the world. Its mediaeval city centre, Gothic and Romanesque churches and bilingual signage give it the flavour of a city at the crossroads of Italian and Austrian cultures. This and its natural and cultural attractions make it a popular tourist destination. The town is host to an annual road running competition the BOclassic which features an elite men's 10K and women's 5K races. The event, first held in 1975, takes place on New Year's Eve and is broadcast live on television by Rai Sport Più. Bolzano is also the host city to the Giro delle Dolomiti annual road bike event.