Friuli, Tyrol & the Dolomites

• Get to know Innsbruck, an imperial capital that has long been a gateway between Italy and the north

• Discover diverse histories, from the astounding Copper Age Ötzi the Iceman in Bolzano to WWI in the Dolomites

• Understand the sophisticated world of the Lombards at UNESCO World Heritage-listed Cividale del Friuli

• Experience the majestic beauty of the region, from the unique landscapes of the Dolomites, to alpine vineyards and the rolling foothills of Friuli

• Soak up the distinctive architecture, cuisine and languages of the Dolomites and South Tyrol, from pretty Venzone and Cortina d’Ampezzo to German-inflected Bolzano and Brixen

Tuesday 09 september – arrival (canapes)

Our tour commences at 3.30pm, at the meeting point in Munich airport. We travel by coach to Innsbruck, the former summer capital of the Habsburg empire. After checking in, we get to know each other over drinks and canapes. Overnight Innsbruck.

Wednesday 10 September – Innsbruck (B, L)

Innsbruck, settled scenically in an Alpine valley at the northern end of the Brenner Pass, has been continuously settled since the stone age, but was significantly enlarged by the Romans to protect the road connecting Verona to Augsburg. Its strategic importance lasted until the Habsburgs were able to impose relative order on the Holy Roman Empire, after which the town became the primary residence of a branch of the imperial dynasty. Today, this Habsburg heritage is very well preserved in the Renaissance and Baroque streetscapes and palaces. After a talk in the hotel this morning, we have a guided walking tour of Innsbruck, followed by a welcome lunch. In the afternoon, we take the cable car into the mountains for the panoramic views of Innsbruck on the one side and Austria’s largest nature park on the other. Returning to Innsbruck, the evening is at leisure. Overnight Innsbruck.

Thursday 11 September – Ambras Castle and Kristallwelten (B)

From the later sixteenth century onwards, Innsbruck was a key cultural centre of the Habsburg world. This change was largely brought about by Archduke Ferdinand II, the emperor’s son and a humanist scholar who used his influence to build substantial collections of art and natural history. He had a new wing of his palace built specifically to house these collections and to display them systematically – effectively creating the first museum. Today we take the short trip to Ambras Castle where, after a guided tour of the Archduke’s collections, we have time to explore the rest of the palace and its substantial gardens. In the afternoon, after a break for lunch at the castle, we visit the unique site Swarovski Kristallwelten, a place designed in the 1990s to celebrate the company’s centenary. Here, a series of 18 secret chambers contain large scale installations of works by artists including Yayoi Kusama, Salvador Dali, Lee Bul, Andy Warhol and James Turrell that are made from Swarovski crystals. After time to delight in the works, we explore the extensive alpine gardens, in which giant contemporary art works by artists and architects from around the world are set among species once endemic to this valley of the Alps. Returning to Innsbruck, the evening is at leisure. Overnight Innsbruck.

Friday 12 September – Brixen and Castello Rodengo (B, D)

We depart Innsbruck this morning, bound for Bolzano via the majestic Brenner Pass which has historically been the main trade route linking the Italian and German speaking worlds. The mountain passes of the Alps were well defended in the Middle Ages by numerous castles and forts, and our first stop in what is now Italy is Castello Rodengo. It was decorated with a series of fifteenth-century frescoes designed to appeal to the chivalric nature of lords and knights, with fantastical tales of the Holy Grail and of damsels in distress. We then continue to Brixen/Bressanone, a centre of white wine production, skiing and hiking that is the Tyrol’s oldest documented town. A bridge between southern Germany and northern Italy, it was a seat of local prince-bishops and its historic centre contains art and architecture stretching from the Romanesque to the Rococo. After a break for lunch, we explore Brixen on a guided walking tour, from its cathedral to the old Bishop’s Palace. In the late afternoon, we continue to Bolzano, where we have dinner together. Overnight Bolzano.

Saturday 13 September – Bolzano and Ötzi the Iceman (B)

Bolzano/Bozen is the capital city of South Tyrol. Located in a valley where a number of rivers converge, it was also where the medieval alpine crossings of the Via Claudia Augusta and Brenner met, and thus it developed as a trade centre. Until Mussolini’s concerted Italianisation, German was Bolzano’s main language of communication, and it was not until the 1970s that the region gained the autonomous status that allowed it to incorporate German and Ladin language and culture into public life, celebrating its multicultural traditions. After a talk in the hotel, we explore Bolzano’s history and architecture on a guided walking tour, including its Gothic cathedral and the peaceful cloisters of its Franciscan friary. After a break for lunch, we dive into the region’s prehistory at the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology. Bolzano’s rivers and roads were traversed by humans as long as 50 centuries ago. Ötzi the Iceman, as he is familiarly known, is proof of this: the oldest natural human mummy in the world, he offers a rare glimpse into the Copper Age ca 3350-3150 BCE. Apparently murdered, Ötzi was rediscovered by German tourists in 1991, still wearing his woven-grass cloak, leggings and waterproof leather shoes, with tools in a pouch around his waist. In the later afternoon, there is the option to visit Santa Maddalena, a fourteenth-century church in the vineyards above Bolzano with a fascinating cycle of frescoes. Evening at leisure. Overnight Bolzano.

Sunday 14 September – Meran & Trauttmansdorff Castle (B, L)

Today we head to Merano, a pretty South Tyrol town that has a long history as a health resort, from Empress Sisi to Franz Kafka and Ezra Pound. Its medieval city gates and Gothic churches are well preserved, as we discover on a stroll with our tour leader. Lying just above the town is the Trauttmansdorff Castle, a ruined sixteenth-century castle. Rebuilt in a neo-gothic style in 1846, the castle is now the location of a renowned botanic garden. We lunch on its panoramic terrace before continuing to nearby Mölten. The protected slopes in and around Bolzano have long favoured the wine industry, and at Mölten one forward-thinking winery produces a sparkling wine from local grapes, including Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc and Pinot Noir, and we enjoy a wine tasting. Returning to Bolzano, there is the option to continue with your tour leader to Museion, a museum of modern and contemporary art. Overnight Bolzano.

Monday 15 September – Trent and Arte Sella (B)

We check out of our hotel this morning and head south to Trent. As a border town, it was contested for centuries – from the Etruscans to the Gauls, Romans and on down to the Holy Roman Emperors. In the sixteenth century its profile was given a permanent boost when the Roman Church settled on Trent as the location for an ecumenical council. Concerned by the growing Protestant movement, the Church’s highest-ranking prelates met here over almost twenty years, formulating a clarification of doctrine and teaching that is known as the Counter-Reformation. We are introduced to Trent on a walking tour with a local expert, who explains the history of the Romanesque cathedral, Buonconsiglio Castle and church of Santa Maria Maggiore, one of the locations for the Council. There is time for lunch at leisure before we travel through the mountains to Arte Sella, an innovative sculpture park nestled away in a remote alpine valley. Returning to Bolzano, the evening is at leisure.

Tuesday 16 September – Ladins and language (B)

We check out this morning to travel to Cortina d’Ampezzo in the heart of the Dolomites, stopping first at Ortisei. Located in the Val Gardena, one of the Dolomites’ most scenic valleys, it is famous for artisanal woodcarving. Isolated deep in the mountains for centuries, the people of Ortisei speak not only German and Italian – they also maintain a ‘relic language’, Ladin. Derived from vulgar Latin, it is spoken by only four percent of South Tyroleans, but local pride in this linguistic tradition ensures that it is still used in school, in print media and on television and radio. We learn more about this distinct culture on a guided tour of Ortisei, before lunch at leisure. When then continue to Lagazuoi, a mountain standing at over 2,800m that occupies an important position on the Falzarego Pass, a key WWI battle site between 1915 and 1917, as we learn in the Museum of the Great War which documents the horrors of trench warfare in the Alps. Ascending by cable car, we arrive at 2,700m where resplendent views of the Dolomites surround us on all sides, a far cry from the intensity of the artillery and fortifications that once stood here. Arriving in Cortina d’Ampezzo - is a picturesque ski resort, as viewers of For Your Eyes Only and The Pink Panther may remember – we take an orientation stroll with your tour leader. Evening at leisure. Overnight Cortina d’Ampezzo.

Wednesday 17 September –   Cibiana di Cadore (B, L)

Today we explore the peaceful Cadore valley, beginning with Cibiana di Cadore, a tiny village in the valley filled with contemporary murals with a historical or political bent. We then enjoy lunch at one of the region’s finest restaurants, before a scenic journey through the valley stopping to visit its villages and the magnificent Lake Misurina, one of the Dolomites most photogenic locations. The later afternoon and evening are at leisure. Overnight Cortina d’Ampezzo.

Thursday 18 September – Into Friuli (B)

This morning we check out of our hotel and drive through the Dolomites exploring the history and culture of this diverse region. Our first stop is at Sappada Dolomiti, close to the border with Austria and still an important German-speaking centre. In fact, its local dialect has much in common with a variant of Bavarian! We then continue to Venzone, a fortified hamlet, spectacularly sited under the Carnic Prealps which became a pawn between Venice, Napoleon and Austria until It was annexed to the newly-united Italy in 1866. Afterwards, we continue on to the plain and visit Spilimbergo. Originally a strategic military encampment, it developed a reputation for Gothic frescoes, and even produced a female follower of Titian, the painter Irene di Spilimbergo. After surveying Spilimbergo’s frescoes, we continue to Udine, our base for exploring Friuli. After dinner in a local restaurant, the evening is at leisure. Overnight, Udine.

Friday 19 September – Udine (B)

After a talk on the history of Friuli, we begin today with a walking tour of Udine, a lovely town at the foot of the Dolomites that is untouched by mass tourism. Our tour leader explains Udine’s history as a seat of commercial and ecclesiastical power, and the transformation of its fortunes after conquest by Venice in 1420. This explains the Venetian aspect of the Piazza della Libertà, Udine’s main square, and of its clocktower, designed to imitate Piazza San Marco in Venice. At the Diocesan Museum, we survey a number of significant artworks, the most outstanding of which are Giambattista Tiepolo’s exuberant Rococo frescoes. The later afternoon and evening are at leisure to enjoy this peaceful town. Overnight Udine

Saturday 20 September – Cividale del Friuli (B, D)

Today we make an excursion to nearby Cividale del Friuli. Close to the border with Slovenia and lying alongside the Natisone River, Cividale’s quiet character belies its historical significance. Under Julius Caesar it grew in prominence and was named ‘Forum Iulii’ (Julius’s marketplace, eventually contracted to ‘Friuli’ and extended to the entire region). In the sixth century it was occupied by the Lombards, a group who immigrated to northern Italy from present-day Hungary and centralised power in the region after centuries of decline and war. Cividale was one of the Lombard capitals, and we are introduced to the evidence of their power on a guided walking tour of World Heritage-listed sites. At the Tempietto Longobardo, the private chapel of the Lombard dukes, we admire rare eighth-century stucco sculptures, and at the Diocesan Museum refined Lombard stone carvings, including an altar and a baptismal font. After a break for lunch, we continue to the Archaeological Museum. It has an outstanding collection of Lombard artefacts, particularly of goldsmithing. Returning to Udine, there is time to relax before we enjoy a farewell dinner together in one of the region’s finest restaurants. Overnight Udine.

Sunday 21 September – Departure (B)

We check out of our hotel this morning for a coach transfer to Venice International Airport, where we will arrive at approximately 12.00pm, in time for international flights departing from the mid-afternoon.   

Hotel Grauer Bar 4* Innsbruck, 3 nights

https://www.grauer-baer.at/en/hotel/overview/

Alpine traditions meet with modern comfort in this hotel in the heart of Innsbruck.

Parkhotel Laurin 4* Bolzano/Bozen, 4 nights

https://www.laurin.it/en/parkhotel-bolzano/1-0.html

A grand nineteenth-century hotel in the historic centre, with bright and comfortable rooms and an Art Nouveau bar

Hotel de la Poste 4* Cortina d’Ampezzo, 3 nights

https://www.delaposte.it/en/index

A chalet-style hotel, run by one family since the nineteenth century. Its restaurant is well known for its regional dining.

Hotel Ambassador Palace 4* Udine, 3 nights

https://www.ambassadorpalacehotel.it/en/ (Italian only)

A pleasant hotel, well-located in the centre of Udine, with generous and modern rooms.

• 13 nights’ accommodation at 4* hotels

• All breakfasts and 6 lunches or dinners

• All ground transport, guided tours and entrance fees to sites as mentioned in the itinerary, and tipping

• Commentary by and expertise of an Australian tour leader throughout, and services of a Europe-based tour manager throughout

A $1,500pp deposit is required at the time of booking to hold your place on tour.

We will invoice you for final payment for the tour, due on 26 June 2025.

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