#4 - Bolzano, Innsbruck, & Alps

After leaving Santa Margherita, we traveled northeast, stopping in Verona.

Dante's usual stern demeanor.

Juliet's balcony - apparently a "must" for tourists.

The Roman Arena in Verona.

We stayed in Bolzano for four nights, and here Lucio is giving us an orientation walk around the Medieval center of the town.

This area was a part of Austria before the end of WW I, and signs of the coexistence of the two cultures are everywhere, most notably the fact that both Italian and German are spoken as well as being displayed on most official signs.

View from our hotel, The Luna.

On a road trip to visit surrounding towns and take in some scenery in the Dolomites.

St. Florian, the patron of firefighters, was born in what is now Austria and devotion to him is widespread throughout The Tyrol.

Murals including St. Florian and St. George.

Toy store back in Bolzano. The little bear actually blew bubbles.

Piazza Walther Platz and the cathedral.

Statue of Walther von der Vogelweide, a famous minnesinger, or German minstrel.

Luciano, our local guide in the white jacket, points out the highlights.

We took the Ritten cable car up to Oberbozen, or Soprabolzano depending upon which language you prefer.

Great view of Bolzano from the cable car. The Medieval portion to the right of the cathedral steeple is easy to distinguish because of the lower buildings.

Day trip to Innsbruck: the royal palace.

And if you long for a taste of home, it seems that a McDonald's is never far away.

Instead, we enjoyed a German lunch here.