This semester’s TTM Program’s field trip Destination Marketing: European Wonders Bolzano, Dolomiti UNESCO took AUR students to South Tyrol. Italy’s northernmost province combines the majesty of the Dolomites (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) with the Italian joy of life and a rich and extraordinary cultural diversity. That diversity is evidenced everywhere, from the languages of the inhabitants (Italian, German, and Ladin) to the traffic signs, food, and historical and artistic attractions. The Dolomites were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2009 for their exceptional natural beauty as well as international significance for geomorphology.
South Tyrol through the eyes of one student
Natalie Kay Salati
Senior, AUR Business Major
Calling it "a trip to Bolzano" is reductionist, to say the least. The 5-hour train ride from Roma Termini to Bolzano sounds endless but once the train takes off and I lost sight of Rome, right as the Dolomites began to appear as if they rose from the ground and we reach the German - Italian fusion city. The ‘campagna’ of Italy allowed the stress of an average student’s day to day, to just fade away.
Once we stepped off the train every turn felt as if we’re in a different country. At every block, another student mentioned feeling as though they were in a town familiar to them. It’s as if we knew the area without really ever previously stepping foot in the city and this feeling was only enhanced by the tour guide.
The Bolzanina woman who led us through her beloved city emphasized her pride in the autonomy, integrated languages, and cultural comprehension of the region, along with showing us everything from the classical tourist attractions including the renowned local market and the Bolzano Cathedral with the city center to the hidden gems, you’d have to see for yourself.
Later that day we headed for the city of Merano, only a 40-minute train ride, on the highly efficient public transportation which allowed us to schedule everything down to the minute and arrive on time. We listened to a detailed Marketing strategy presented by a young and professional Public Relations manager, at the Terme Merano, and then we were invited to experience the thermic pools and other amenities. As a student in the middle of the semester, the Terme was the perfect remedy.
The next day we rose at 6:50 to eat breakfast and meet our hiking guide in the Dolomites. In Klausen/ Chiusa, a small town outside of Bolzano where we transferred to a bus, the moment the train doors open you take a deep breath and the air already feels cooler and cleaner. The bus took us to Val di Funes, a beautiful valley in the Dolomites, and we hiked to an adorable mountain hut Kaserill Alm that only served locally sourced authentic regional cuisine and returned down the mountain. We then attended a Presentation in German made by the Puez-Odle Nature Park – a UNESCO World Heritage Site Representative and the Mayor of Funes, which Professor Sasso translated simultaneously. Afterward, we engaged with the interactive museum Funes Nature Park House, which is harmoniously integrated into its surroundings and exhibits a huge aerial photograph that we could walk across and Touch the Mountains. Much of what was in the museum was collected by our trekking guide, Mr. Walther Dorfmann. We finished the day with a gastronomic experience of the century, a tasting involving all local sustainable food and wine at the Oberpartegger farm in Villandro where we got a first-hand look at what it takes to run a business built on quality over quantity. The tasting ended with students and professors carrying on conversations that are impossible to recreate in the classroom - and that continued as we returned to the hostel.
On the last day, we had a private tour of the South Tyrol Museum of Archeology where there lies an almost perfectly preserved mummy from the year 3300 BC name Ötzi, the Iceman. The museum is one of the most interesting, informative, and interactive museums I’ve ever experienced thanks to our extremely knowledgeable and thought-provoking guide. We then concluded our weekend itinerary in a town high in the clouds called Renon/Ritten and were free to roam by ourselves for a few hours before the train home.
I experienced new foods, made new friendships, discovered a part of Italy that is unlike any other, carried enticing discussions, and made memories that will last me far beyond my time at this university.
I cannot put it all into words and I hate to say it but you just had to be there.
Interestingly, the locals found the AUR visitors quite fascinating too - as this write up from the South Tyrol News reveals (in German): https://www.suedtirolnews.it/wirtschaft/the-american-university-of-rome-zu-besuch