All photos by Lisa Denning.
If you were to ask me one of the most beautiful wine regions I’ve traveled to, Alto Adige would be right there at the top of the list. Also called South Tyrol, or Südtirol in German, this most northerly province of Italy borders Austria and, until 1919, was a part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Today, Alto Adige is a multicultural mix of German and Italian influences, revealed through its architecture, language, traditions, cuisine, and wine.
Less crowded than well-known Italian tourist destinations like Tuscany and the Amalfi Coast, Alto Adige’s stunning landscape attracts nature enthusiasts who prefer quiet, open spaces with fresh, alpine air. The combination of grassy green fields, forests, vineyards, pastures, and turquoise-hued lakes, is like none other.
And if that’s not enough, the magnificent Dolomite mountains, with their 18 craggy peaks, stand tall above it all. Honored in 2009 as a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its beauty and geological significance, the Dolomites spread out across Alto Adige and four other Italian provinces.
Hiking Heaven
Unsurprisingly, this mountainous region is a hiker’s delight, offering hundreds of trails, from easy (a walk around the turquoise waters of Lago di Braies) to moderate and extremely challenging.
Lago di Braies has a scenic hiking path around its perimeter.
In June 2022, I traveled to Alto Adige as part of a small group of wine writers. The
This Article was originally published on The Wine Chef
