South Tyrol is one of the two provinces that make up the autonomous region of Trentino-Alto Adige in Northern Italy. The capital is Balzano and the majority of people here speak German.
The province is bordered by Austria in the north and east, the landscape is highly mountainous with various types of forest and shrubbery. It is located within the Alps and the highest peak in the area is Ortler, which stands at 3,905 meters above sea level; the famous Dolomites are also located here.
There are five groups of climate in this province; the Etsch Valley has cold winters and warm summers and is generally classified as humid subtropical. It is the sunniest and driest of the five climate regions and is home to the capital, Bolzano. The midlands also have cold winters with warm summers, but are classified as Oceanic. Alpine valleys (900 – 1400 meters) are classified as humid continental with very cold winters and mild to warm summers.
Alpine valleys (1400-1700 meters) are classified as subarctic with harsh winters of -9 and cool to mild summers of around 12 degrees. It is also the wettest climate in the region, with heavy rainfalls during the summer months. Highlands (1700 and above) are alpine tundra, which becomes an ice cap above 3000 meters. Winter is cold, but not as bad as the valleys; above 3000 meters it gets very cold and drops to around -14 degrees in January.
This range of mountains is very popular in all seasons; winter has skiing and hiking, while summer has hang gliding and base jumping. The famous Tre Cime di Lavaredo are also located here and in themselves are a massive tourist attraction.
Balzano has the Victory Monument Gate and the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology, where Ötzi, the Iceman mummy is housed.
Merano is home to the Museum of Tourism, which opened in 2003, the Gardens of Trauttmansdorff Castle, which is a botanical garden and Steinerner Steg, which is a stone bridge.
Sterzing is home to the Zwolferturm, which is a 46-meter high tower that was constructed in 1470, and divides the old and new town. There is the Holy Spirit church, which is the oldest Gothic church in the city and dates back to 1399.
Looking for self catering holiday accommodation in South Tyrol? Then below is a selection of Apartments in South Tyrol and villas in South Tyrol that can be rented direct from their owners. You can either click on each listing for further details or you can use our search engine on the left if you are looking for something in particular.
