Bressonne / Brixen

Bressanone (aka Brixen)

September 7-8
Written September 7-9 and Oct 5

Dear Family and Friends,

This was the day we would drive into Italy, but through South Tirol, where towns and streets are marked in both German and Italian, legacy from before World War II when this are was part of Germany itself. For example, our goal is called Bressanone (Italian) and Brixen (German). This will be a transition.

The road away from Sank Jakob led out the upper end of the valley, into more mountains, and across a high plain into Italy. These were the start of the Dolomites, rocky crags that are as spectacular as any mountains we've ever seen. We were to see more of them than we had imagined.

Just after the small border sign, we saw a much larger sign welcoming us to Antholz (German) - Anterselva (Italian) and behind that sign, a notice that the road could only be traveled in the first 15 minutes of every hour. Fortunately, we arrived at 10:08 and the traffic light was green, so we headed into the unknown. Once on the road, it was clear that passage could only be one way, so each direction received a 15-minute window to enter the road and another 15-minutes to finish.

Marianne was driving and I was taking pictures. I'm not sure the photos can properly show how narrow and steep and twisty the road was. Believe me, it was unlike any place we'd ever driven. About half-way down, we rounded a corner and were suddenly behind stopped cars. They were stopped behind a small herd of cows meandering down the road. It was all pretty funny, except that we were all conscious of the time limit our direction had on the road. Come on cows, get moving.

Eventually we squeezed past the herd and finished the descent minutes before the opposite traffic started their turn. The road widened a bit, just enough for two-way traffic, and scenery remained spectacular. The towering Dolomites guided us all the way down into Italian valleys that were as pretty as their northern Austrian neighbors.

In a couple more hours, we made it to Bressanone/Brixen, a good size town built at the junction of the Eisack/Isarco and Rienz/Rienza rivers. (Everything here has two names!) Finding the hotel was a challenge because the narrow city center roads were filled with pedestrians and Gertrude the navigator sent us down one street that was just not passable. Eventually, we did find the Gruener Baum, a Best Western hotel that proved to be big, but very well done. Parking was secure. Our room was large. Wifi worked. The staff was friendly. And, the next day, the breakfast was generous.

Once settled, we walked across a bridge to the city center. The narrow streets that had been challenging as drivers were now charming as pedestrians. We managed to work in required tourism: a museum stop, a church visit, and a glass of wine at a street-side table.

After our town excursion, we decided to make it a short day. The evening meal was a snack of cheese and goodies from a local shop. The next morning we were up early, but left breakfast late because we just don't like moving too quickly at the start of the day.

Besides, all we had to do was take a leisurely drive over to Treviso, a trip that could be done in about three hours. "Could" is the correct word, but that is another (mountain) story.

John and Marianne

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