That appetite, we are happy to announce, will be abundantly satisfied in many Bolzano restaurants, particularly in the tree-shaded terrace of the HOTEL GRIFONE. This busy hotel is located in the heart of the city on the Piazza Walther, and we have enjoyed many meals on its animated terrace. One luncheon, for example, consisted of boned salmon trout in aspic and a vegete salad with an exquisite mayonnaise, followed by a superb fritiaia with mushrooms and onions, a good local cheese, and delecte wild strawberries with ice cream. With a good local wine, caffè espresso and a thin flute of Strega to follow, the total, all service included, came to less than four dollars for two. The menu at the Grifone is bilingual, the other language being German. and if you want tangariscbes Gulascb or Wiener Schnitzel, there it is. If you happen here on the right evening, there is another attraction— band concert. It is a local band in the best Tyrolean tradition and costume. All the musicians wear long-sleevcd white shirts, waistcoats of black or red velvet, and broad green suspenders. Topping these costumes arc high-crowned Alpine hats, each gaily adorned with a fresh, spicy carnation. The music is exactly the kind one has the right to expect from musicians so attired.
There are other excellent hotels in Bolzano, and a bit quieter than those on the main piazza. The best of them is the ALBERGO LAURINO, situated near the railway station. It is a tranquil summer place, endowed with every comfort, and has most commende cooking.
MERANO
This wittering place on the fringe of the Dolomites is rapidly making its way back as one of the leading spas in Europe. Its mineral springs and radio. active waters are prime attractions to many people with all kinds of complexities and complaints, including precocious senility. Merano' cold radioactive waters do them immense good. I'm told that they even bring race horses up here to inhale the radioactive fumes, but maybe somebody is trying to pull my fetlock.
At all events, Merano teems with hotels, pensions, villas, and sanatoria, all bedecked with flowers. Orchards surround the town, which is famous for its apples, especially the Colville. Each apple is protected while maturing on the tree by a paper bag which preserves its delicate golden skin. It is pleasant to report that gastronomy plays a part in the “cure” at Merano. Patients indulge in fruit diets; they munch apples, pears, apricots, and particularly grapes. Among the two hundred varieties of grapes grown in the Alto-Adige, there-is a grape for almost every ailment for which man can produce symptoms.
There is an old town section of Merano, close packed and quaint, with steep-roofed town gates and tempting shops. German seems to be the favored language, but everybody speaks Italian in a pinch. The outer edges of the town arc literally sprinkled with good solid hotels in the Swiss and Austrian tradition. Merano doesn't sound precisely like a rendezvous for the “fast younger set.” However, these gentry proby will like the HO BRISTOL. built three years ago by an Italian syndicate (the same people who run the GRAND and the BAUER GRUNWALD in Venice), and as modern as tomorrow. All rooms have sheltered balconies furnished with a chaise longue and a low te on which to enjoy your breakfast. On the roof is a stunning innovation—a swimming pool with deck chairs for sunbathing. A dance floor and a view of the mountains arc thrown in without extra charge. The food is hotel food, of course, but well prepared and gratifying, especially if you order fresh mountain trout—and munch quantities of fruit.
ORTISEI
This is one of the best of many small mountain resorts which thrive on the road between Bolzano and the mountain passes. Located in the Val Gardena, Ortisei is a pronounced favorite, winter and summer, with sportsmen. From here funiculars and chair lifts hoist skiers to all sorts of jittery heights. During the warm months it is less exciting, perhaps, but far easier on the motorist. The favorite local industry is wood carving. Few visitors leave this place without acquiring some of the wooden statuettes, dolls, toys, and bottle stoppers shown in the shops.
There are several good hotels in this delightful valley town, the most appealing being the AOUILA. From its balconies, sparkling with geraniums, guests enjoy a thrilling view of the valley surrounded by those strange, purple-buff denticulated mountains. The hotel is spotless and spacious with a vast central staircase suite for a descending duchess. There are plenty of bathrooms, too, enormous ones. The meals are hotel meals, alas, contrived to please five nationalities at the same time. If can't be helped, I suppose. One ray of sunshine amidst the barley soup, chicken, peas, and pastry was a note bottle of Sandbichler, the dry red wine of the district.
BRESSANONE
One dramatic way to enter the Alto Adige is through the Brenner Pass from Austria. The motorist drives southward and soon comes to a point of decision at the town of Viplteno. If he forks to the right, he climbs a magnificent winding steep road which eventually leads to Merano. But if he forks to the left, he not only encounters an easy valley road but a rich gastronomic reward and the handsome valley town of Bressanone, as well.
There are grotesque and picturesque streets in this town, spiked with numerous church towers. It lies in a fertile river valley and is a noted health resort. However, for our epicurean purposts, Bressanone is famous for one thing—a hotel named after an elephant. The name of the HOTEL ELEFANTE harks back to the sad story of a live elephant who was presented as a gift to Maximilian of Austria, King of Bohemia, by John the Third of Portugal. The poor creature was shipped from Africa to Genoa by boat (this was back in 1551, and his name was Solomon) and then began the long trek on foot to Austria to join his new master. At Bressanone he spent several days recuperating from the brutal march over cold mountain roads, and stayed in the Stes of the leading town hotel, while his attendants put up in the best rooms. The owner of the alberga felt greatly honored, and soon changed the name of his estishment to Elefanre and had its façade adorned with large elephantine frescoes, which remain to this day. For centuries it has been famous. The Kings of Havana, Greece, and Prussia have stayed there. So have the Emperor and Empress of Austria, Fertile Molnár, and Max Rcinhardr. So have a great many gourmets in recent times. They arc attracted by one spectacular dish, the piatto elefanse, a glorified meat preparation which taxes one' power of description. It is intended for four people-a glittering mound of delicacies including roasts, smoked ribs, sausages, and tongue, surrounded by a squad of luscious vegetables and spiked with a silver skewer. It is certainly the most impressive dish in this province, and worth a wide detour. The Hotel Elefante at 4 Via Rio Bianco is also most comforte for an overnight stop. We have sketched its wrought-iron sign so that you can find it easily.
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