The guided tour of Bolzano will make you discover the historic centre of an ancient town discovered by the Romans and set in the Dolomites with artistic beauties, views, nature and many curiosities. It starts from the Dominican Church with its beautiful cloister which we will visit inside to admire the fresco cycles of the Giotto school and the various works by Italian and German painters; a short distance away we find the religious building symbol of Bolzano, its Cathedral dedicated to Santa Maria Assunta which we will visit inside.
The church dating back to the 15th century in late Gothic style was built on three churches built one on top of the other from different eras and amazes visitors for the characteristic green and gold roof, the 65 metre high bell tower with 25 bells and the beautiful frescoes created by the students of Giotto's school; near the square that houses the Cathedral we find the curious door of the wine, one of the most beautiful gothic portals in the whole of Tyrol, where the winemakers with a special permit could sell the wine. From this large square, the town's living room, we head towards the commercial heart of the medieval historic centre crossing via dei Portici street, a charming little street with Gothic-style arcades that host shops and taverns in a succession of pastel colours, frescoes and stucco.
The tour continues along the most characteristic streets, focusing on the Baroque-style Mercantile Palace and the Renaissance-era Palazzo del Vecchio Municipio, now home to the Historical Archive. Another very particular street is Via dei Bottai street where artisans made wine barrels since the Middle Ages and today it is known for the best winery in Bolzano. Strolling through the historic centre is another picturesque alley with a medieval arch and the Zallinger Tower, a real attraction for visitors with many open-air bars with the original stalls of the ancient fish market.
We end the guided tour by admiring one of the most beautiful and colourful squares in Bolzano, piazza delle Erbe square with its fruit and vegetable market which houses the Fountain of Neptune, an 18th century marble and bronze fountain with the god of the sea with dolphins and shells
