Bressanone
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By Dion Protani
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Latest update: 26 September 2023
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Bressanone (Brixen in German) is located within the Province of South Tyrol and has a population of 22,377 inhabitants. Covering an area of 85 km², it stands 560 metres above sea level and is located 99 km from Trentino Alto-Adige's capital, Trento.
The main attractions of Bressanone are its Baroque cathedral, the Hofburg Palace and nearby Abbazia Novacella. |
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Most of the town's residents will opt for Brixen as the town's name as the first language here is German. Although this is the case for many of the towns in the Trentino Alto-Adige/South Tyrol region, the more so the further north towards the Austrian border you go, I've chosen to use their Italian versions for the page names for purposes of simplicity.
The next occasion I have to give the Italian name first and put the German version in brackets is when describing the confluence of two rivers to the east of the town centre: the River Isarco (Eisack in German) continues its journey north to create an attractive riverside area in the town, while the River Rienza (Rienz) takes a slight easterly detour here.
Bressanone is one of the most beautiful mountain towns in Italy and nowhere more so than the central square: Piazza del Duomo (Domplatz). Star of the show here is of course the wonderful Duomo di Bressanone (Brixner Dom); originally built in the 10th century it was later given a Baroque makeover in 1745 with two huge clock towers brightly-painted in yellow with the facade's walls below in pastel blue. The sense of awe is repeated inside the church with its lavish use of marble, gold and glass as decoration. Further exploration of the Cathedral takes you to a series of cloisters and a small baptistery.
Piazza del Duomo is really the heartbeat of the town centre; around the edges of the expansive square are a number of historic buildings concealing shops and restaurants with several places to dine al-fresco. Decorative touches are added with a fountain at one end and a piece of landscaped garden in a small park area at the other.
The sense of grandeur continues as you exit Piazza del Duomo at its southern end, passing a delightful building painted in yellow on one corner and a restaurant with outdoor seating on the other before entering the wide boulevard of Piazza del Palazzo Vescovile (Hofburgplatz) with its pretty flower beds. This is the location of the Hofburg Palace; the one-time home of the town's bishops and now an important religious museum with a variety of artefacts. Although just as impressive is the building itself with its wonderful courtyard.
There's a tangible sense of peace and prosperity as you wander around this elegant city; walking across one of the bridges over the rivers towards the town centre there are tantalising shops housed in multi-coloured buildings and intriguing enclosed squares giving a feeling of warmth. One such square arrives shortly after crossing the Ponte Aquila bridge and the enticement comes in the unusual form of an antique chemists which is actually a museum: the Museo della Farmacia (Pharmaziemuseum). Articles of interest inside include vials holding strange-looking liquids and antique pharmaceutical apparatus. The little square outside the Chemist Museum is Piazza Parrocchia which is dominated by the Torre Bianca. The 72 metre high bell tower vies for supremacy in the skies with the twin towers of the cathedral close by and each of the three towers handily displays a clock, leaving no excuse for poor time-keeping!
Those clocks can come in handy to make sure you allow some time to visit the Novacella Abbey which is just over three kilometres north of the town centre. It's a pleasant-enough walk of 40 minutes or a 10 minute drive. Closer to the town centre is Bressanone's train station which is a 10 minute walk (1 km) south of the Hofburg Palace. Trains run south from Bressanone to Bolzano (Bozen) in 30 minutes, stopping along the way at the pretty town of Chiusa (Klausen). Heading in the opposite direction it's a half an hour train journey to the town of Vipiteno (Sterzing) with that same train containing all the way to the Brenner Pass (49 minutes); the beautiful mountain area which marks the Italian-Austrian border.
By car there are numerous ski resorts to the north of Bressanone or another interesting mountain town: Brunico (Bruneck) and from there it's a beautiful, scenic drive to Dobbiaco (Toblach), the nearby Lake Dobbiaco (Toblacher See) and the even better Lake Braies (Pragser Wildsee) a short distance south of there.
The next occasion I have to give the Italian name first and put the German version in brackets is when describing the confluence of two rivers to the east of the town centre: the River Isarco (Eisack in German) continues its journey north to create an attractive riverside area in the town, while the River Rienza (Rienz) takes a slight easterly detour here.
Bressanone is one of the most beautiful mountain towns in Italy and nowhere more so than the central square: Piazza del Duomo (Domplatz). Star of the show here is of course the wonderful Duomo di Bressanone (Brixner Dom); originally built in the 10th century it was later given a Baroque makeover in 1745 with two huge clock towers brightly-painted in yellow with the facade's walls below in pastel blue. The sense of awe is repeated inside the church with its lavish use of marble, gold and glass as decoration. Further exploration of the Cathedral takes you to a series of cloisters and a small baptistery.
Piazza del Duomo is really the heartbeat of the town centre; around the edges of the expansive square are a number of historic buildings concealing shops and restaurants with several places to dine al-fresco. Decorative touches are added with a fountain at one end and a piece of landscaped garden in a small park area at the other.
The sense of grandeur continues as you exit Piazza del Duomo at its southern end, passing a delightful building painted in yellow on one corner and a restaurant with outdoor seating on the other before entering the wide boulevard of Piazza del Palazzo Vescovile (Hofburgplatz) with its pretty flower beds. This is the location of the Hofburg Palace; the one-time home of the town's bishops and now an important religious museum with a variety of artefacts. Although just as impressive is the building itself with its wonderful courtyard.
There's a tangible sense of peace and prosperity as you wander around this elegant city; walking across one of the bridges over the rivers towards the town centre there are tantalising shops housed in multi-coloured buildings and intriguing enclosed squares giving a feeling of warmth. One such square arrives shortly after crossing the Ponte Aquila bridge and the enticement comes in the unusual form of an antique chemists which is actually a museum: the Museo della Farmacia (Pharmaziemuseum). Articles of interest inside include vials holding strange-looking liquids and antique pharmaceutical apparatus. The little square outside the Chemist Museum is Piazza Parrocchia which is dominated by the Torre Bianca. The 72 metre high bell tower vies for supremacy in the skies with the twin towers of the cathedral close by and each of the three towers handily displays a clock, leaving no excuse for poor time-keeping!
Those clocks can come in handy to make sure you allow some time to visit the Novacella Abbey which is just over three kilometres north of the town centre. It's a pleasant-enough walk of 40 minutes or a 10 minute drive. Closer to the town centre is Bressanone's train station which is a 10 minute walk (1 km) south of the Hofburg Palace. Trains run south from Bressanone to Bolzano (Bozen) in 30 minutes, stopping along the way at the pretty town of Chiusa (Klausen). Heading in the opposite direction it's a half an hour train journey to the town of Vipiteno (Sterzing) with that same train containing all the way to the Brenner Pass (49 minutes); the beautiful mountain area which marks the Italian-Austrian border.
By car there are numerous ski resorts to the north of Bressanone or another interesting mountain town: Brunico (Bruneck) and from there it's a beautiful, scenic drive to Dobbiaco (Toblach), the nearby Lake Dobbiaco (Toblacher See) and the even better Lake Braies (Pragser Wildsee) a short distance south of there.
Comune di Bressanone
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Province: Bolzano
Region: Trentino Alto-Adige South Tyrol Population: 22,728 (source: ISTAT 1 January 2023) Total size: 84 km² Elevation: 560 metres Highlights: Bressanone Cathedral, Hofburg Palace Close by: Chiusa, Castelrotto, Brunico, Puez-Geisler Natural Park Recommended accommodation: Hotel Pupp |
