Bolzano's Archeological Museum

The beauty of Bolzano is the way it is suspended between past and present, with attractions for all tastes and ages, from a visit to the primitive iceman to the fashion shops near the historic zone of the city, with its gothic architecture. Bolzano is a crossroads of art, culture and tradition. And only a few minutes aboard Bolzano's historic cable-car, with its splendid view of the Dolomites, will leave you with an indelible impression of the region of Trentino-Alto Adige.

Who said that Egypt has the only true mummies? In the papers, radio and TV of 1991 the discovery of Italy's iceman was announced to the delight of scientists and anthropologists, who immediately began to reconstruct the story of this primitive man.

Otzi is the mummy's name, and he's perfectly preserved in glass at the Archaeological Museum of Alto Adige in Bolzano. He lived in the Venoste Alps around 3000 B.C. and was a sheep farmer. Part of the intense interest in Otzi is due to the fact he was found complete with bow, arrow and hunting knife and even more intriguing, he is decorated with over 50 tattoos of archaic design.

A short distance from the Archaeological Museum and its ancient inhabitant lives the modern Bolzano. Along characteristically tiny streets that widen as they near the city centre, the big fashion firms have their shops. Italian haute couture fashion alternates with local boutiques displaying fabrics, clothes and artisanal creations typical of the area. Before the numerous locales and pubs it's easy to find musicians and buskers showing off their style to tourists and locals alike.

If you want to touch the sky with your fingertips, a trip on the famous Colle cable-car is much more than just its 1400m high panorama. In fact the cable-car of the Colle at Bolzano is the oldest in the world and in 2008 celebrated its 100th birthday. At the end of the ride, inebriated by the splendid view of the mountains, it's possible to admire a copy of the original carriage that first transported visitors to the height of the Dolomites, early in the 20th century.