Bolzano is a city in the Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol region of Italy. Bolzano is the capital of the province of Bolzano-Bozen.

The Museum of Archaeology in Bolzano is where the ice-mummy “Ötzi” is kept.

In 2008, Bolzano was one of the locations in the region Trentino-Alto Adige where the seventh edition of the renowned Manifesta, the European Biennial of Contemporary Art was held.

The city is also the home of the Italian Army’s Alpini High Command (COMALP) and some of its combat and support units.

According to the 2001 census, 73% of the city inhabitants were Italian speakers. 26% speak German and 1% Ladin as their first language. The city thrives on a mix of old and new-high-quality intensive agriculture (including wine, fruit and dairy products), tourism, traditional handicraft (wood, ceramics) and advanced services. Heavy industry (machinery, automotive, steel) installed during the 1930s has now been mostly dismantled. On the downside, the local economy depends strongly on the public sector, and especially the provincial government.

Bolzano was ranked as having the second highest quality of life of Italian cities in 2007, with neighbouring Trento topping the list. The city’s Italian-Austrian character, enhanced by the narrow cobblestone streets, Habsburg-era churches and pervasive bilingual signage gives it the unique flavour of a city at crossroads between Italian and Austrian cultures. This, and its natural and cultural attractions make it a renowned tourist destination. Among the major monuments and sights, there are:

Walther Square, with a statue of Walther von der Vogelweide, the German minstrel (minnesinger); the South Tyrol Archaeological Museum, which hosts the mummy of Ötzi the Iceman; the Gothic Cathedral, started in 1184, probably on the foundations of a Roman villa and rebuilt in the 14th Century by the architects Martin and Peter Schiche (completed 1382); various castles, including Mareccio Castle, Roncolo Castle and Firmiano Castle; the First World War Victory Monument, a controversial monument built by Mussolini in 1928. the Messner Mountain Museum Firmian