The guided tour of Merano will make you discover the beauties of South Tyrol in the streets of an amazing town very famous for its Christmas markets but which offers visitors many ideas for a nice walk.

We start from the statue dedicated to Empress Sissi who lived in Merano for her long periods of rest, and from here we cross the Post Bridge to enter the historic centre of the town. The late-19th-century bridge is a beautiful sight, with pillars covered in mosaics, Austro-Hungarian eagles, and decorative grape and gold-leaf motifs. On the bank of the Passirio River, we can admire the unusual Wandelhalle.

Here you can relive the atmosphere of the Belle Epoque, in a place loved for walks where you can stop and look at the walls painted by the best South Tyrolean artists.

The tour continues with a visit to the Cathedral dedicated to St. Nicholas, one of the most beautiful examples of medieval Tyrolean Gothic style architecture with numerous frescoes, sculptures and stained glass windows inside; on the outside you can admire a fresco on the wall adjacent to the bell tower over 80 metres high, visible throughout the town. From the cathedral we walk along Via dei Portici, the oldest fourteenth-century street in Merano, in the heart of the Steinach district which is also the most evocative historic centre with many small streets that offer views to photograph but also the opportunity to go shopping.

In this arcade street we find shops, Tyrolean-style restaurants and shops offering typical local products, from speck to strudel; looking up, we can admire the perfectly preserved historic houses from the medieval period that harmonise with other buildings in liberty and art nouveau style. One of these is the Puccini Civic Theatre, one of the most significant buildings of the early twentieth century that hosts concerts, dance recitals and performances also in the German language.

The guided tour ends by admiring the architecture of Merano's main theatre, the Kurhaus, an imposing nineteenth-century building among the most beautiful in Art Nouveau style in the entire Alpine area that hosts prestigious jazz and classical music festivals every year.