South Tyrol has a rich cultural heritage
Across the whole region,
castles and fortresses tower over small, sunny squares, while in the villages you can find numerous
chapels, churches and monasteries. You will find
Museums and
historic places everywhere you go and town and village centres in particular will enchant you with their picturesque alleyways,
municipal buildings and mansions.
South Tyrol dialect, customs & festivals
In South Tyrol, culture is living and breathing. Even the
dialect, which varies from region to region and from one place to the next, is part of its culture.
Customs and traditions remain important to this day and are upheld with great pride. Church holidays are celebrated with
processions, local speciality doughnuts, and
village fêtes with music. On such occasions, South Tyroleans like to dress in their
traditional costume, which also differs from one place to the next. Bands, riflemen and fire fighters accompany First Communion children on their special day and play an active role in processions. In addition, nearly every town has its own church choir, as well as sports and theatrical societies.
Culinary culture
South Tyrol is situated at the crossover point between two cultures: traditional, local Tyrol culture and Mediterranean culture from the south. The symbiosis of the two is most readily apparent in the local cuisine. Here, menus offer roast pork and dumplings, homemade “Schlutzkrapfen” (ravioli) in brown butter and “Kaiserschmarren” (a kind of pancake) alongside mozzarella tomato salads, seafood spaghetti, Vitello tonnato and pizza.
Cultural highlights in Meransen & the surrounding area:
- Church holidays with processions: Low Sunday, Corpus Christi
- Sacred Heart Sunday: in 1796 local Tyrol representatives pledged to entrust the region to the “most sacred heart of Jesus” on account of the danger it faced from Napoleon’s troupes and to commemorate this each year. Andreas Hofer renewed the promise before the Battle of Berg-Isel against the French and Bavarians. Hofer’s armies were the surprise victors and so Sacred Heart Sunday was made a public holiday. This history is still commemorated with the symbolic lighting of mountain fires which set the skies of South Tyrol aglow on this particular Sunday each year.
- “Almabtrieb” (cow parade) in Meransen on the first Saturday in October