When the cultural experience is so close, it's worth immersing yourself in it time and again.

The extreme mountaineer Reinhold Messner opened one of his six Messner Mountain Museums, or MMM for short, in one of the largest castle complexes in South Tyrol. The permanent exhibition "The enchanted mountain" tells of the importance of mountains for people.

Ötzi found his final resting place in the South Tyrol Archaeology Museum in the centre of Bolzano. The museum, which you can visit free of charge (until 31st Dec 24) with the Bolzano Card or Südtirol Pass, offers many insights into the past and present of South Tyrol in addition to the permanent exhibition.

The Kalterer See is the warmest bathing lake in the Alps. The smaller and larger Montiggler lakes are just a few kilometres away. Discover the lakes as part of a bike tour along the South Tyrolean Wine Route, which also takes you past the best wineries in the country.

The 80 garden landscapes in Meran are among the most beautiful gardens in the world and impress with botanical rarities, viewing platforms, a water lily pond, artist pavilions and a botanical underworld. The Trauttmansdorff Castle is also home to the Touriseum, which tells the story of alpine tourism.

It's not just the name of Runkelstein Castle that sounds like something from an old fairy tale. The medieval fortress from the 13th century majestically towers over Bolzano and is home to the most extensive secular fresco cycle of the Middle Ages. The scenes from court life tell of hunting, knights' tournaments and everyday life in the Middle Ages.

Trient is only half an hour's drive from Bolzano. A little further south, in Rovereto, the MART awaits, one of the most renowned museums for modern and contemporary art in Italy. Here you can admire the greatest Italian works of the 20th century as well as numerous private collections and special exhibitions.