Once the Trauttmansdorff Castle used to be the winter residence of the Austrian empress Sissi (Elisabeth). Nowadays here, on the sunny slopes below the picturesque castle near Merano, expands one of the most beautiful gardens in all of Italy.
Plants from all over the world are presented in 80 different garden landscapes. Mexican cacti meet Indian lotus flowers and French lavender. Natural landscapes like Japanese alluvial forests are contrasted by cultivated landscapes like rice terraces and tea plantations.
Few years ago the Gardens of Trauttmansdorff Castle were nominated the most beautiful gardens in Italy.

Traces of medieval times are ever present in the area. The fortresses Brandisburg, Braunsberg and Leonburg were built in Lana in the early 13th century, the latter two are still inhabited today. Mayenburg Castle was built in Foiana near Lana in the 11th century and on the moraine hill above Cermes the well preserved and still inhabited Castle Lebenberg is towering above the land. It is one of the most beautiful castles in the area and is open to visitors. After taking a lovely hike through the woods near Gargazzone you can reach the lonely Kröll Tower, a keep dating back to the 13th century.

The 650 years old residence Kränzel in Tscherms/Cermes has been hosting since few years a labyrith garden. The residence is to be intented as an artwork between garden, vineyard and art house.

Four gardens lead to the „Wallburg", an embankment with down oaks and roses surrounding a classical ground labyrinth at its center. 

The "rock cinema" (Knottkino) is a location on the Zoccolo Mountain that offers mother nature's best movies. The ever changing spectacular views never cease.
This "open-air cinema" offers 30 seats made from steel and chestnut wood on a 1,465 m high mountain slope above Merano.

The Iceman on display at the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology in Bolzano (South Tyrol, Italy) is one of the world’s best-known and most important mummies. In addition to the famous "Iceman" and all the details of his find, the Museum of Archaeology, opened in 1998, documents the pre- and early history of South Tyrol from the end of the last ice age (15,000 BC) to the reign of Charlemagne (c. 800 AD). The museum opens up an exciting window on the history of the Alps. Models, reconstructions, 3D images, videos and interactive multi-media terminals let you look into the past in a sophisticated and at the same time entertaining way.

As the centrepiece of the Messner Mountain Museum, MMM Firmian in Sigmundskron Castle near Bolzano addresses the subject of man’s encounter with the mountains. In a setting dominated by the various peaks between the Schlern and the Texel range, the museum is spacious enough to be organised as an itinerary between the various works of art, installations and relics that it houses. The paths, stairs and towers lead visitors form the depths of the mountain, where their origins and exploitation are brought to life, and the religious significance of the peaks as an aid to orientation and a bridge to the beyond, to the history of mountaineering and the alpine tourist industry that we know today. Annual exhibitions are also held.

The new art space in the historic center of Merano has been created as an international hub for contemporary art featuring forms of artistic expression. It is therefore intended as a platform for fine arts, photography, architecture, music, literature, new media and more.
Open year round, Merano arte presents rotating contemporary art shows in an exhibition space over three floors.