Bolzano, South Tyrol, Italy

[StorageLady]

I leave for the Dolomites tomorrow and will have one night in Bolzano before the hiking begins. Any suggestions on a place to eat that would be comfortable for a single female traveler and withing WALKING distance of Piazza Walther? Casual, friendly and tasty are the keys for me!

I won't have a car....

Thanks friends...

[Joe H]

Serious? We leave for Verona tomorrow (three nights) and then on to Bolzano (Hotel Laurin as a base for three nights) with stops in Merano and Cortina which is arguably the most beautiful drive of all of the Dolomites. Our Saturday dinner is at the Michelin starred and difficult to get in to Sissi http://www.andreafenoglio.com/ which we reserved a month or more ago. It's in Merano which is about 35 km north of Bolzano. Locally Zur Rose is the best restaurant in Appiano about 8 or 10 km away but you need to reserve. The Laurin's restaurant is probably as good as you'll find in town. Pilhof, which features a wine bar and restaurant just outside of town is enormously popular and would probably serve well. We'll go Monday night. In Cortina we're going to the starred Tivoli.

Are you into opera? Serious? Carmen is being presernted in the Roman amphitheatre in Verona which arguably is the finest, most atmospheric, most exclusive spot to see opera in all of the world (with all due respect to Viennia, La Scala, Paris Grand Opera, etc. and Greece. Verona sells out a year in advance for some shows. Carmen is among the most popular but we're going for the standing room which is about E 45 and worth the experience, even if from a distance.

If you are adventurous and have a car, Sissi and possibly El Molin are the restaurants you would want to explore. Both have Michelin stars, both expensive, but both memories to brag or talk endlessly about after returning home.

[The Hersch]

Carmen is being presernted in the Roman amphitheatre in Verona which arguably is the finest, most atmospheric, most exclusive spot to see opera in all of the world

It may be fabulous, but with a half-million opera-goers per summer, I wouldn't really call it exclusive. The Barns at Wolf Trap seats 382. In recent years, The Wolf Trap Opera Company has been doing three perfomances each of two operas per summer in The Barns for a total possible attendance of 2,292 (and they're almost always sold out). Which is the more exclusive?

My experience of Bolzano/Bozen consists entirely of passing through it on the train, which gives me very little insight into the dining scene there. Okay, no insight. But I've just been poking around on this intertubes thing, and there are some appealing-looking spots centrally located. Here and here, for example. (Note that I'm not claiming that the websites are appealing.) The Hopfen/Boznerbier place has an atrocious website, but when (or if) you manage to find your way to their menu, it seems like more than half the dishes have some form of bacon in them, which is great!