In the “Sketch” you can dance to driving beats into the morning, later you can relax in the hypermodern spa on the banks of the river Passer. Our tips for Merano.
Italian lightness has moved into Merano
Merano has long since ceased to be a bland spa resort, a young, Italian-inspired lightness has established itself here. Anyone who was prepared for senior groups must be careful not to be run over by joggers with sports buggies on the Passer promenade. In the cafés there is a hip crowd, and in the Kurhaus a fine market sells white wine coolers to yuppies from Milan and Munich.
And because we like the city in South Tyrol so much, we want to share with you the best tips and addresses we’ve found there:
Stay overnight: For artists of life and realos
Hotel ImperialArt. Art hotel instead of Kurpension: All eleven rooms and suites of the restored Art Nouveau hotel located in the middle of the city were furnished by artists – with angular wooden sculptures or elements from the demolished luxury hotel “Bristol”. Our tip: Room 42, because of the roof terrace with mountain view and whirlpool (Freiheitsstr. 110, Tel. 0473/23 71 72, www.imperialart.it).
Oberhasler Hof. In Schenna, in her old farmhouse above Merano, Priska Weger rents out three pretty holiday apartments – and spreads so much joie de vivre that you don’t want to leave. Plus sauna and herb garden (Alte Str. 8, Tel. 0473/21 23 96, www.oberhaslerhof.com).
Enjoy: Peppermint risotto and Bacio ice creamOrganic food is served in the Yosyag (Goethestr. 40c). The delicious peppermint risotto is absolutely recommendable.Breakfast? Gladly in Coffee Art (Freiheitsstr. 112) with Schreyögg coffee and crispy croissants.The very best ice cream – yoghurt! Bacio! Cookie! – in the Gelateria Sabine (Garibaldistr. 19). And the Bistro 7 (Laubengasse 232) is good for the fast pasta.
Going out: Beautiful Italians, cool DJs
First for an aperitif (glass of wine from 1.50 euros) to the lively Caffé Kunsthaus (Sparkassenstr. 18), then to the dimly lit Rossini (Freiheitsstr. 19), where beautiful Italians order from the champagne menu.
Clubbing until dawn is the order of the day at Sketch (Passerpromenade 40), when cool US DJs put on pink Barbie lighting.
Culture: Get in the gallery, get out on the designer platform.
On the second floor of a back building (Laubengasse 75) Erwin Seppi has hidden his mini-gallery “ES” with contemporary art.
You can watch Petra Holzknecht painting her colourful pictures (Passeirergasse 30).
Viewpoint high above Merano: The landscape is framed by modern design in the case of the Thun gacker designed by Matteo Thun. The viewing platform can be found in the gardens of Trauttmansdorff Castle.
Finale: And finally relaxation …
After so much strolling, looking, eating and partying, the body needs a nice break before returning to everyday life. The Therme Meran in the middle of the city with its pools, saunas, massages and all kinds of great applications with mountain views is particularly suitable for this.
