After meeting the Rockies and the Andes, Villnöß was my first encounter with the Alps. Although only a tiny part of the mountain range, this place gave me the cutest first impression ever.
Itinerary of the day: San Marino → (transfer Rimini → Bologna → Bolzano → Klausen) → Santa Magdalena
Last night I had Hotel Rosa's owner arranged us a taxi to bring us to San Marino's bus stop to catch an early bus (6:45) back down to Rimini. The taxi was a no show - we ended up running with our luggage and catch the bus at the last second! It was important to make all our connections today, or else many hours would be lost waiting for the next available transportation.
It was too early to have breakfast at the hotel, so we bought some sandwiches at Rimini train station's Coop. Checking out other country's supermarket is one of the best things about travel.
We had about an hour of transfer time at Bologna, and while waiting for our connection to Bolzano, I had my third encounter with Chinese tourists (or international exchange students).
The two students bought Regionale tickets to Prato, but missed their train because they had mistaken Bologna's "1est" platform for "1" platform. They were completely clueless on whether there will be another train, and why their train didn't show up. It was obvious they didn't speak any Italian or English. I was looking to kill time anyway, so I explained to them how to read the poster schedules on the wall, what train classes they could take and how Bologna somehow had three sets of platforms with the same numbers.
Students: "Can you show us where 1est platform is...?"
Me: "Guys, It's my first time here too, I don't know. Show a Trenitalia staff your ticket and they will point you the right direction."
Students: "Uh...(hesitant)"
Me: "(writes "binario 1est" on their tickets) You don't need to speak, just show this to them..."
If they wouldn't do some pre-trip research, then at least have the initiative to communicate with locals? They can't rely on running into Mandarin speakers all the time!
On the Bologna-Bolzano train, the cutest little bella sat across from me! She kept speaking Italian to us, so adorable! Her mom was very friendly too and didn't forbid her child to interact with "strangers" nor tell her to "behave". If most Italian parents are like this, then I am very envious.
South Tyrol is an autonomous province, with most population of Austro-Bavarian descent. For anyone interested to look into this region's history, it's easy to figure out why this place is a mixture of Austria and Italy (but more like Austria IMO). It's part of the reason why the trip into Villnöß was so fun, as we had the chance to experience yet another different culture.
To get a sense of where we were, Bolzano is closer to Innsbruck, Austria compared to the closest well-known Italian city, Verona. As the train cross into South Tyrol, landscape and architecture started to change.
So did the language. What am I reading I cannot Germanics.
From Bolzano we still had to transfer to Klausen (Chiusa in Italian), then bus into Villnöß by Südtirol Mobil, or SAD.
We had 7 minutes to catch our bus, and for a moment I could not find the bus stop. A local girl nicely gave us some directions so we could make it on time. The bus driver and other passengers made sure we got on the right bus and got off the correct stop as well. These nice people had to use really thick German accent to speak limited English words so us dumb tourists could understand, but they were still so patient. WHY WERE THEY SO CUTE OMG WHAT WAS THIS COURTESY DYING OF CUTE. I'll never forget the friendliness I encountered on this trip!
After 8 hours of transportation, we finally arrived at the Santa Magdalena village in Villnöß! This village was not the biggest in the valley, but the closest one to "Gruppo delle Odle" of the Dolomites, and numerous hiking trails it had to offer.
Our room was a double plus additional bed, so a little bit cramped. We decided later to have lunch at the huge balcony.
Chocolates on pillows!
Amazing views from the balcony.
There were not many restaurants available in Santa Magdalena and the roads would be very dark at night, so most hotels provided full board and half board services. Waitresses working at this hotel wear dirndls! fjaldksjfkd;sjfkdlsjff
(I looked a mess in this photo so I cropped myself out)
Soon we head out in search for lunch, while admiring a very different set of atmosphere from all previous days in Italy. My parents were complaining earlier in the day about the ridiculous transportation time, but now in awe at what they saw. The air was pure fresh. All the houses were decorated with colourful flowers. We heard more cowbells than cars. The grass looked so green they didn't even seemed real.
"Even more beautiful than Tuscany" They said, "Best part of the trip for sure".
Some weirdly magenta apple grown in someone's backyard.
Small grocery store near the village.
Bought souvenirs for friends back at home. Package said made in Austria, so I assumed these must be good.
During the planning stage I found out speck to be the specialty of Tyrol region, so must give it a try.
We brought the speck with other food items back to our hotel balcony and had a wonderful picnic lunch.
After craving for wurst in Florence, my dear father went crazy over these speck. They were not overly salty yet flavourful. Best tasting cured meat I've had!
With splendid food we also had splendid views. Directly from the hotel balcony we enjoyed unobstructed view of the Odle. Unfortunately most of it was covered in cloud. There would be photos of this Stegosaurus's bony plates in tomorrow's trip report!
The main activity to do in Villnöß during summer would be hiking. The entire valley is full of trails suitable for different physical levels.
For the limited time we have until sunset, we decided to search for a classic lookout point. From this lookout point, one can see the Odle in its entirety, with a postcard-like composition of a small local church, forest and hills in the foreground.
Rain showers came and went, so many photos were not as sharp as I'd hoped, but in exchange many interesting lighting situations took place.
The lookout point was not easy to find, because the map wasn't that detailed and the hotel waitress gave us incorrect directions. Eventually we found it and was welcomed with a rainbow.
We tried to wait for the clouds to part, but no luck. Looked like I would need to return tomorrow.
Dinner was half board service at our hotel. Each room of guests had a designated table, and the hotel will keep any leftover wine and water until check-out.
Menu required some choosing, so Hotel Tyrol staff even went out of their way to translate their menu for us!
Appetizers were buffet style, and to be honest the buffet was a lot better than their entrees. There were a ridiculous amount of salads and cheese to choose from.
This was my first plate. My second plate consisted entirely of artichokes.
House wine was kind of average.
"Pork chops with mashed potatoes and vegetables". The pork chops were a bit dry.
"Homemade Erdapfel blatten with sauerkraut". This one was weird. I didn't think the blatten worked well with sauerkraut (and with the way they were prepared, I don't think it made a difference if the two components were one dish or not) The sauerkraut alone was delicious.
"Buchteln with vanilla ice cream". Also an odd combination...tasted better separately but not together.
During dinner, I saw a Japanese lady holding a Leica S2 (costs more than a car). She was here for photography, and I couldn't wait to do the same. Tomorrow we continue to hunt for more picture-perfect sceneries of Villnöß!
