Italy: Magnificent mountains, museums, and meeting Messner.

My second foray into Italy was not going to be much longer than my first. Well, that is the beauty of this trip. When I wake up in the morning I never quite know where I am going to be that night. If I like a place or find an attraction I want to visit, then I stay around, and if not, I move on down whatever road looks like fun. It took a little while to really get into the routine of traveling this way and learning to accept the uncertainty of not knowing if there will be a place to stay (but that's OK – I can camp or sleep in the car) or if I'll find a restaurant or place to buy food (but that's OK – I carry a couple of liters of water and a few chocolate bars for such occasions).

With this style of travel in mind I rolled out of Switzerland and into Italy with only the vaguest idea of where I was headed. I had read about a mountaineering museum created by climbing legend Reinhold Messner near the city of Bolzano and thought it might be interesting to visit. So with the GPS set for the city center of Bolzano I rolled down Highway SS41 through Tubre just over the border and then shortly thereafter into Glurns (in German) or Glorenza (in Italian).

The beautiful little city of Glurns/Glorenza just over the border into Italy.

Apparently, this is the smallest city in Italy with just 800 people but having official city status. The origins of the city go back to 1163 and in the 1580s the entire town was protected by massive stone walls. The river Etsch (in German) or Adige (Italian) flows through the town passing close by one of the two city gates. I watched as a large tour bus squeezed through the other city gate barely making it with just an inch or two spare on either side.

This gate is a tight fit if you ever plan on driving a bus through here.

As I continued on my way I passed several castles and miles of apple orchards in truly spectacular countryside.

Next was the town of Kastelbell-Tschars (German) or Castelbello-Ciardes (Italian). You may be wondering, as I was, why the name of these Italian towns are given first in German, then Italian? Well, that requires a brief review of the history of Tyrol. Tyrol was once a country, part of the Holy Roman Empire, later the Austrian Empire, and finally a crownland (autonomous province or state) of Austria-Hungary. To cut a long (very long) story short, but check this link for the whole history of Tyrol, both Italian and German speaking peoples lived in the region. Then war made things complicated. Many battles in World War I were fought in the Tyrolean Alps and with the Allied victory came the peacetime task of establishing new national boundaries. Tyrol was divided with the southern section given to Italy, despite the fact the vast majority of the people living there were German speaking with strong ties to Austria. Then in the years leading up to WWII Italian dictator Mussolini began a program of Italianization with massive immigration programs encouraging Italians from the south to move into the area and banning the teaching of German in schools. Germany "annexed" all of Tyrol and remained there even after Italy capitulated. The end of the Second World War saw the land given to Italy for the second time and the start of considerable tension between Italy and Austria over what was now officially called South Tyrol. An agreement was negotiated in 1946, recognizing the rights of what was now the German minority although this did not make all happy and a brief terrorist campaign with savage bombings brought international pressure and United Nations negotiations between the two governments. Finally in 1972 South Tyrol was given special status as an autonomous province and both Italian and German are recognized as the official languages, although 64% of the population speak German. Today, South Tyrol is peaceful and the wealthiest Italian province with a very high degree of autonomy (i.e., keeping 90% of collected taxes rather than passing them onto the Italian government in Rome). It has strong relations with the Austrian state of Tyrol, especially since Austria's 1995 entry into the EU, the common currency, and disappearance of national borders. So, technically I am in Italy, but the area is linked in many ways to Austria with the people speaking German.

In Kastelbell-Tschars/Castelbello-Ciardes I stopped into the Tourist Information Center and asked the young woman working there if she had any information on the Messner Museum. "Which one? was her reply. Well it turns out there are four (with a fifth currently under construction). The closest was just four miles down the road. There was not time to visit given the late hour of the afternoon so she assisted in finding me a cheap place to stay which turned out to be an incredibly furnished room in the attic of a guest house – it was fabulous.

I also noticed a brochure in the Tourist Info Center on a large hot pool complex in the nearby city of Meran/Merano (the two name thing gets complicated doesn't it). It was about a 30 minute drive to this pretty city of 33,000.

Situated on the banks of Passer River the Therme Meran was a fabulous thermal pool complex. I had a wonderful swim and soak watching the sunset from the thermally heated outdoor pool – a pretty magic experience.

Therme Meran.

 Next morning I had a great walk around Kastelbell-Tschars/Castelbello-Ciardes and up to the old castle (not open until 1:00 pm for tours so all my photos are from the outside). The castle was built by the local Lords but after 1200 it was owned by the Count of Tyrol (essentially the rulers of Tyrol). After a fire in the 1800s the building was reduced to ruins and title transferred to the Italian government in 1956 with a full restoration done in 1987.

The castle that gave Kastelbell-Tschars/Castelbello-Ciardes its name.  Note the rose plants at the end of the rows of grapes - apparently roses are a good indicator if disease is attacking the vines.

Leaving town it was only a short drive to another famous castle. In keeping with his very strong environmental policies (Messner served as a Member of the European Parliament from 1999 to 2004 for the Italian Green Party) there are no cars allowed up the steep mountain access road so you pay to ride an electric powered van. At the top is Castle Juval, personal home of the Messner Family and also an incredible museum.

I know all my climbing friends reading this know who Reinhold Messner is, but perhaps not everyone else does. Reinhold Messner (born September 17, 1944 in Brixen – not too far from Meran/Merano in the Italian Province of South Tyrol) is often cited as the greatest mountain climber of all time. His website states that: In his over three thousand climbs he has achieved over a hundred first ascents, and was the first to climb all 14 of the world's 8000+ meter peaks. Messner was the first to reach the summit of Mount Everest without oxygen support which many considered to be impossible and then repeated the feat with the first solo climb of the world's highest mountain. He also made unsupported crossings of Antarctic, Greenland, Tibet, and the Gobi desert. His exploits are well know and documented in the over 50 books he has written. He now devotes his time to developing the Messner Mountain Museum project, five interrelated thematic museums dedicated to the art, culture, religion, and unique aspects of mountain regions throughout the world.

Schloss Juval.

The castle (official name is Schloss Juval) gets name from the Latin 'jugum altum', (high pass) in response to its position some 500 meters above the junction of two valleys. The castle dates back to 1278 and Hugo Von Montalban, whose intention was to build a fortified residence to control the highly travelled pass through to Austria. During the Renaissance it was enlarged at the hands of the Sinkmosel family, wealthy wine merchants, who spent a fortune on decorations that still survive in parts of the structure today. The records of the castle ownership then become unknown although is it sat abandoned and ruined for many generations until 1913 when bought by William Rowland, from the Netherlands. He fell in love with the region and the castle and began an extensive restoration until he was forced to flee under the fascist Mussolini regime. Again it sat vacant then was used as a youth hostel for a few years until 1983 when Messner bought it as a place for he and his family to live. The brochure describes that "he has done a 'restoration' rather than 'renovation' as virtually nothing of the original structure was changed. Skilled local artisans were called in to repair tile and timber floors, craft beautiful doors and even old-style locks, and install wonderful traditional Majolica stuba stoves to heat the vast rooms - no central heating was installed for fear of damaging the frescoes and plaster."

Courtyard shaded by Himalayan cedars.

Outside wall of castle - note sundial.

Close-up of sun dial.

The museum is closed during the winter, given the lack of heat and the fact that the water supply freezes over, and only opens for two months in the spring and two months in the fall (for three months over summer the Messner family are in residence and the place is closed). You can only tour with a guide in small groups (our small group of five spoke German, Italian, and me with English. Luckily the guide spoke all three fluently!). The tour began in a beautiful courtyard shaded by magnificent Himalayan cedars, planted by the Rowland not Messner, although this selection of tree was quite fitting given the collection of art from Nepal, Tibet, and India.

Then it was inside and a visit to the family's living quarters (where photo's were prohibited) to see what the brochure described in overly poetic prose, but accurately; The rooms have been fitted out with simple and traditional wooden furniture, in keeping with the castle feel. One dreamy timber-paneled alcove looks out to emerald fields and snow-covered ranges. From the picture-book kitchen a narrow staircase drops to the cellar directly underneath. Here bottles of Blauburgunder (Pinot nero) from the estate's organic vineyards are lined up, as are rounds of traditional rye bread. The tour guide told that us bread was traditionally baked only twice a year in these alpine valleys, then left to completely dry out. An evil guillotine looking chopper was then needed to cut it into useable chunks. Apparently this type of bread being suitable for soups or very tough teeth!

The residence part of the castle.

Despite the rooms of wonderful art that were to come, I found the adjacent room to the food cellar to be the most interesting. In a huge cave-like room with a sloping rough rock floor is where all the gear from Messner's epic expeditions were stored. There were dozens of ice axes, even more backpacks of all different sizes, wardrobe type storage for racks of jackets and one-piece down climbing suits (the more recent being covered in patches of the logos of corporate sponsors), several sleeping bags hanging, and an impressive shelve of perhaps 30 pairs of battered looking boots. It was the biggest gear room I've ever seen. Then up winding stone stairs to a banquet hall with a beautiful vaulted ceiling with some of the original frescoes from the mid-15th century still on the walls. The highlight of the room was a huge, long, narrow table hewn from a single tree trunk and originally housed in an Italian monastery. Leading off this room was another huge room – this one Messner's library where he does most of his writing over the summer. His collection of books would shame many public libraries, and yet his were all on mountaineering and climbing. I noted a few shelves of New Zealand books.

Then out to the old keep or tower where walls were filled with art work dedicated to the what the brochure called the "Myth and Magic of the Mountains." However, this being a translated from German/Italian into English I think a more apt title would be: "The spirituality of the Mountains". I'll include just a representative photo or two from the Tibetan collection, a gallery of paintings of the world's holy mountains, a collection of masks from five continents, and a Tantra Room.

Right by the back gate to the castle is a little sign.

It was an incredible visit. I loved the art work, loved the setting, and kind of loved getting to see the house of this famous climber. I left and decided to head back up the valley I descended yesterday to visit a second of his museums.

At Schloss Juval - the first of four Messner Mountain Museums.

The second museum in Sulden am Ortler, was built in an underground structure at 1,900 meters (6,234 feet) above sea-level.

Entrance to Messner Museum at Ortler.

It is stated to be devoted to the world of ice, which is true although I think an expanded theme of the "Science of the Ice World" could also apply. The village, which is mostly a winter ski town and summer base for hiking and climbing, sits right beneath a massive peak called Ortler. This peak rises straight almost 2 kilometers to its summit at 3,905 meters (12,812 feet) and presents an impressive backdrop to the museum. This peak, and its equally impressive if slightly lower neighbors, is apparently one of the favorites for Messner. He has built an amazing collection of paintings of this mountain and range. But the museum also features a range of artworks that capture ice; glaciers, the Poles and surrounding Arctic and Antarctic mountains, and 'The Third Pole – Mt. Everest.'

I stayed overnight in a guest house in Sulden am Ortler and watched an incredible sunset then arriving storm from my room.

View of setting sun and arriving storm from room of guesthouse in Sulden.

The next morning I left for a day of demanding driving over a series of incredible mountain passes. First up, after passing through beautiful little Trafoi, was the second highest pass in the Alps; Passo dello Stelvio (Italian)/ or Stilfser Joch Pass (German) at 2,757 m (9,045 ft).

Trafoi.

Wikipedia notes: The original road was built in 1820-25 by the Austrian Empire to connect the former Austrian province of Lombardia with the rest of Austria and since then, the route has changed very little. Its sixty hairpin turns, 48 of them on the northern side. Before the end of World War I, it formed the border between the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Italian Kingdom. During World War I, fierce battles were fought in the ice and snow around the top of the pass. The road is very popular with cyclists and motorcyclists and according to the British television show "Top Gear," the Stelvio Pass is the greatest driving road in the world.

Passo dello Stelvio.

I joined a steady process of motorbikes and cyclists (I cannot imagine how your legs would scream coming up this beast of a road) as I climbed each switchback. Amusingly, I also pulled over to let a car rally of those little Smart cars to overtake me.

Look out! Little cars coming through.

The road was barely wide enough for a single car so meeting downhill traffic was quite an adventure. Twice cars got so close that they hit my side mirrors! At the top, somewhat in the clouds, I visited a small museum that documents the terrible battles fought here during the First World War. Just a few weeks earlier and entire crate of unexploded bombs emerged from the ice – and bodies and the detritus of war are still commonly uncovered, especially during late summer as the ice and snow melts.

Photo of recently found WWI ammo near the top of the Pass.

I dropped down the other side into the ski resort of Bormio then immediately up and over another high pass (Passo Gavia) then down and up over Passo del Tonale followed by the town of Male (with this as the name of the town you can imagine that there were some amusing streets signs). I finally reached Bozen/Bolzano late in the afternoon and made my way directly to the centerpiece of the Messner Mountain Museums; MMM Firmian located in Sigmundskron Castle built in 945. The stated theme of this museum was "People's Encounters with the Mountains". Much of this could be simplified by saying that through art and historically mementoes it traced the history of mountaineering and the alpine tourist industry.

Much to my surprise in the courtyard of the old castle I saw Reinhold Messner sitting being filmed for what looked like a TV interview. I watched for a little while but kind of felt weird despite my desire to meet him. I decided to focus instead on the wonderful collection. It was hard to know what was more impressive – the castle setting or the fabulous art collection. A few photos of the views around the castle and some of my favorites from the collection.

Messer being interview in the courtyard of the castle.

James Belcher: 1996.  Mt. McKinnley-The Source.

Sir Edmund Hillary - The only piece of art work linked to New Zealand.

As I was leaving so too was Reinhold. I walked up and said how much I had enjoyed all his museums and asked if I could have my photo taken with him. "Only if you are fast as I am in a hurry". I quickly recruited a guy standing nearby and as a result have a picture of myself with arguably one of the worlds, if not the, greatest alpine climber in the world.

I must confess to being really thrilled at having the chance to say hello and have my photo with him. His climbs are really the stuff of legend – although having seen these museums and knowing that he is plowing a lot of his own money into these I think I'm more impressed with his role of collector of mountain art and for restoring these important cultural buildings. In several places were signs saying that the works collected from Tibet would be given back to the country once the Chinese occupation ends.


Not having a guide book for Italy (never really expected spending much time here) I decided to head north as the city of Bozen/Bolzano looked pretty industrial and a few attempts at finding a place to stay were futile. I headed north out of town taking the A22 motorway (the closest to the US Interstate I've driven on so far) towards Austria. With darkness approaching I turned off and paid my exit toll then rolled into Bressanone/Brixen (the two name thing gets a little harder when they appear not even close in words and usually only one or the other is on my map or GPS). This area was spectular with miles of apple orchards so I stayed at the appropriately named "Hotel Jonathan".

I walked the two minutes into town and found the one restaurant in town packed with locals. They had one person among the staff who spoke English and said the only space available for me would be to join others. I was seated at a tiny table with two women, who other than saying hello said nothing else. It was a most odd experience (maybe for them too!). The menu was of course in German and Italian, so I took a random selection under the heading of Pizza. It was really good, although an unusual combination of toppings (a very strongly flavored and smelly cheese, piles of soggy spinach in huge lumps, and a sliced egg. But not chicken – perhaps it was duck or goose). Next morning, after perhaps the best breakfast of this trip so far, I headed up into the Dolomite Mountains. These mountains are almost beyond description – huge towers and spires for as far as the eye can see.

One of my first destinations was Lake Misurina. The place looked vaguely familiar and I subsequently learned that the ice skating events of the 1956 Winter Olympics were held on the frozen surface – the last time Olympic skating events were held outside on natural ice.  A short drive into Cortina d'Ampezo, which was the host city for the above-mentioned 1956 Winter Games. Not too long to explore as there was one more Messner Mountain Museum to visit.

Arriving into Cortina d’Ampezo.

MMM Dolomites also called the "The Museum in the Clouds" is the highest museum in Europe located on the summit of Monte Rite (2,181 m/7,156 ft). It was quite an adventure to get here as the access road is blocked. It took ages to figure out how the system worked as there were no signs nor anyone around who spoke (or confessed to speaking) English. I paid a rather hefty 12 Euro to a couple of guys who took us up a ridiculously steep 4-wheel drive track in brand new Land Rovers. Quite an enterprising way to make money I thought. But upon arriving the cost was immediately worth it – the 360° panorama of spectacular mountains in the Dolomite Range was incredible: Monte Schiara, Monte Agnèr, Monte Civetta, Marmolata, Monte Pelmo, Tofana di Rozes, Sorapis, Antelao, Marmarole. Little wonder Messner thinks this is the "most beautiful mountain range in the world" (although I'm sticking with New Zealand's Southern Alps for my vote).
The museum is built inside of an old WWI Fort. Early in the 1900s Monte Rite was selected for the construction of a "state-of-the-art" fort. During WWI the frontline ran right through the fort and it was occupied by both armies. When they retreated each tried repeatidily to blow it up – but it somehow remained mostly intact. It then served as a base for Italian partisans during the Second World War before Messner took it over in 1998 with the doors opening in 2002.

View across the roof of the museum.

Theme of this museum is "rock" (or perhaps more accurately; "Art representing rock and the sport of rock climbing).

One of the most impressive sights is the view through the windows to perfectly framed shots of the mountains.

The view out the window was also art.

The museum is only for four months over the summer and would close in a week so I'm glad I saw it and indeed it provided a great capstone to the series of MMMs.

I've had several days to reflect on how and perhaps why I enjoyed these museums so much. It had very little to do with the 'fame factor' of Messner and much more to do with the representation of mountains through art shown in fabulous settings. Individually and collectively these museums shows how truly special mountains are. I have always loved being in the mountains – while standing on the summit is wonderful, it is not why I climb. The visit to these four wonderful museums helped solidify my love of the worlds mountains, my appreciation of alpine art, and increased my desire to see the worlds' great peaks and experience being in their presence.

That night I drove through the scenic town of Pieve di Cadore, hometown of Tiziano Vecelli (born 1473 died 27 August 1576) better known as Titian who was one of the leading painters of the Renaissance. A massive statue of him adorns the museum outside of the house in which he was born. I found a fabulous campsite that night tucked in amongst the trees across the river from Pieve di Cadore and listened to the chiming of church bells each hour through the night. Yet, it was not irritating but rather all part of the magic of camping in the Dolomites.

Morning view of the church at Pieve di Cadore.

The view upstream from my campsite.

Next morning into Auronzo di Cadore, another picture postcard town for breakfast with supplies bought from the supermarket. The town is dominated by Tre Cime di Lavaredo (Italian for "Three Peaks"). I found a rough dirt road, thanks to GPS, that approached the base of this famous mountain. Amazingly, it was climbed for the first time way back in 1869.

Auronzo di Cadore.

Right beneath Tre Cime di Lavaredo.

Up over another steep pass, this one called Saint Antanio and down into the town of Padola and an incredible soak in their hot pools looking up at the peaks.

I had the hot pool to myself at Terme della Dolomiti.

 Feeling wiped out after sitting in hot water for two hours in was over one final Italian alpine pass and down into the ski resorts of Moso, Seso, and San Candido before crossing out of Italy and into Austria.

Ski area at San Candido beneath the Dolomites.

So, Italy was highlighted by mountains, museums, and meeting Messner. The Dolomites are a truly spectacular range of mountains. There is also a great deal of history, characterized by war and conflict.  I really struggled with the language here a lot more than other places as there just are not people who speak English. Yet, these fabulous peaks and historic towns are just begging for a repeat visit. I hope it won't be too long before I'm back.