Note the German name and Italian address for this Train Station. That can only mean that Gayle and…read moreI were in the German part of Italy, where duel names are displayed and for the most part, Sprechen sie deutsche. There's history here and it goes back to WWI, when this part of the Country was ceded by Austria (the Loser) to Italy (the Winner). And even though this area remains ruled by Rome, the Alto Adige region is in the autonomous hands of the mostly German-speaking population.
Gayle and I arrived at Bahnhof Bozen from Venice (via Verona). We then walked over to the nearby Bus Station, and took local transit (SAD) to our ultimate Dolomites destination (Castelrotto/Kastelruth). Unfortunately, we didn't spend anytime in Bolzano/Bozen itself, which is a tourist destination in its own right.
The Station itself is fairly plain, with the usual collection of ticket counters, tourist information, canteen, and a tobacco shop. Gayle and I especially appreciated that there were actually elevators that were available to take us down from our track and then back up to the main station. For some reason, every other Italian Station we frequented didn't have many of the most basic of ADA-related features, which provided lots of stair climbing "opportunities" and "adventure" when there were just a few minutes to make a connection.