The flight from Zurich to Bolzano takes barely an hour. The low-altitude approach drags on for minutes between the rising walls of the Isarco valley; below us, apple orchard follows apple orchard. For a distance of barely 300 kilometres the plane hardly seems worth it – but South Tyrol is awkward to reach from Switzerland, unless you come from the Engadine through the Val Müstair to Merano. Fly, and you arrive quickly. And it’s worth it, for South Tyrol is a retreat for lovers of fine roads and good wines.
The endless apple fields weren’t always there. Today South Tyrol supplies half of Europe with apples, but not so long ago it was winegrowing that ruled the region. The slopes are still marked by vines; one of the largest family wineries belongs to Martin Foradori-Hofstätter. Winegrowing in South Tyrol, he says, is a four-dimensional affair: the first dimension is the gradient, the second the altitude, the third the soil and the fourth the microclimate, which varies from parcel to parcel.
And the roads are just as four-dimensional. South Tyrol is no one-dimensional valley but a region of passes – with bends and elevation that make driving exciting. From the little metropolis of Bolzano to the second, Merano, you either take the motorway for 30 minutes. Or, just past Bolzano, you turn onto the SS42 towards the Mendola pass and from there follow the SS238 to the Palade pass – by far the more thrilling option.
In an hour and a half you wind over three passes, through forests and villages that look as if progress had never touched them in a hundred years. The Mendola pass is the finest stretch: on one side the Dolomites in the distance, on the other the vineyards of South Tyrol. The road itself is superb – full of bends, well-kept, lightly trafficked. This is exactly how you picture road-trip romance. We are overtaken only once, by a pack of Porsches with five times the horsepower. Which brings us to the fourth dimension of this trip: time. Who enjoys it more – the Porsche drivers with the throttle to the floor, or us, driving more slowly to savour the flavours of the land for longer?
Preserving What Works
The Tonale invites the reflective Sunday drive that our parents and grandparents still took regularly. In Tramin on the Wine Road stands the distinctive cellar tower of the J. Hofstätter winery; Martin Foradori-Hofstätter took the estate over from his parents and set a modernisation in motion. The multidimensional winegrowing began here decades earlier, when the grapes were first vinified separately by origin rather than together – preserving the character of each variety. Progress while keeping one’s identity is a South Tyrolean strength. And that is exactly the bridge the Tonale builds: after the sporty pair Giulia and Stelvio – the latter named after the Stelvio pass – Alfa Romeo adds a new dimension to its range without betraying the brand’s core values: the union of aesthetics and driving dynamics. (Skyalps flies twice a week, Fridays and Sundays, from Zurich to Bolzano and back; the Tonale starts at 41,900 francs.)
Four Travel Tips for South Tyrol
The pleasure-maker: for years Martin Foradori-Hofstätter has run the J. Hofstätter winery in South Tyrol; its multidimensional winegrowing yields wines of unmistakable character. hofstaetter.it
From field to plate: at the Kirchhof restaurant run by the Nussbaumer family in Aldein, sustainable regional ingredients reach the table – such as a raw beef tartare with hay from the Passeier valley. kirchhof.bz
Spectacular architecture: the Zaha Hadid-designed Messner Mountain Museum Corones on the Kronplatz is a highlight – a striking structure built into the summit. messner-mountain-museum.it
Pool with a view: to enjoy South Tyrol in style, the Gloriette Guesthouse in Soprabolzano is the place – complete with an infinity pool above the rooftops, perfect for anyone keen to discover the region off the beaten track. gloriette-guesthouse.com
This article appeared in MEN issue 2/22 (November 2022).
